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Risky places in the centre of Kalisz

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  • Stanisław Mordwa
Stanisław Mordwa
Uniwersytet Łódzki, Wydział Nauk Geograficznych, Instytut Zagospodarowania Środowiska i Polityki Przestrzennej

Published 2026-04-22

Keywords

  • risky places,
  • crime mapping,
  • environmental crime predictors,
  • shaping safe space,
  • Kalisz

Copyright (c) 2026 Stanisław Mordwa

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

“Risky places in the centre of Kalisz: Przestrzenie ryzyka w centrum Kalisza” (2026) Archives of Criminology, p. 28 pp. doi:10.7420/AK2025.15.
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Abstract

The study is based on now abundant works on crime mapping and the concept of creating safe public spaces. Urban areas with high floor area ratios and high population density also have a high concentration of social issues, including crime. The users of these social and spatial environments often experience mental and emotional problems (stress, anxiety, lack of prospects or limited social trust), social issues (unemployment, poverty or exclusion) and problems associated with crime and safety, degradation of the housing environment or access to public services (e.g. health care or education). Identifying areas particularly at risk of crime can facilitate their transformation into safe spaces and help return these areas to the city and its residents.

The study focusses on the centre of Kalisz and attempts to answer three key questions: (1) Which spaces should be identified as risky places? (2) Which risky places generate the highest risk of crime? and (3) What are the crime-promoting features of risky places?

The study area was inspected and inventoried. Individual risky places were identified on the basis of the general guidelines of the CPTED strategy and the programme “Secured by Design”. However, it was Bartosz Czarnecki’s method of identifying and assessing threat factors in urban spaces that was of crucial significance.

Field studies have shown that the areas in the centre of Kalisz with the highest risks of crime are in the northern and western parts of the city centre, aside from the historically valued former chartered town area. These areas coincide with the 19th-century and multifunctional development (as well as large-format retail facilities), which are nowadays largely dilapidated. The most important crime-promoting properties of these areas are the possibility of a perpetrator escaping or hiding, the presence of risk groups and third parties, a situational advantage for perpetrators, limited conditions for seeking assistance and a sense of anonymity.

The study emphasises how knowledge of the spatial aspects of crime, combined with the chievements of researchers studying the shaping of safe spaces, can be useful in identifying risky places in urban environments. The spatial distribution of risky places and their assessment regarding safety requirements offer valuable information for urban planners and social workers in order to improve the conditions and quality of life of residents in the neglected parts of the city.

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