Abstract
Crime remains one of the most prominent challenges facing South Africa and more general issues pertaining to safety and security are global concerns, especially in the context of terrorism and increased conflicts. Safety and security concerns affect the leisure activities people participate in and the manner in which open leisure spaces (sports fields, parks and conservation areas) in neighbourhoods are perceived and used. This article examines how, within the context of heightened safety and security concerns, residential communities perceive open leisure spaces. A case study approach is adopted using the Reservoir Hills, Westville and Clermont residential areas in Durban. These areas are in close proximity to each other but are historically Indian, White and African residential areas but more importantly reflect different socio-economic contexts. Furthermore, there are a range of different types of open leisure spaces in the study area. This permits a comparative analysis to be undertaken in relation to socioeconomic and locational variables. Three hundred households (one hundred from each area) were interviewed to examine how safety and security issues (including crime) affect leisure activity decisions. This includes how different open leisure spaces are used and perceived. The study also identifies safety and security/ crime hotspots and the types of behaviour residents are most concerned about. The main findings indicate that the safety and security concerns impact on the way in which open leisure spaces are perceived and currently used. There is increased resistance to the use of open spaces for leisure purposes in residential areas with some of the more elderly respondents recalling how spaces were used in the past but are not used currently. Key recommendations emanating from the study is to rethink the design and security measures in place in open leisure spaces in residential areas, including access control and visible security presence.