Cities after dark: Safety of public open spaces in Novi Sad and Kathmandu

Today, urbanization is being widely criticized as a poorly managed, rapid, and complex process that could be contributing to poverty, political instability and conflict. In such complexity of cities and towns, national and local leadership and private interests fail to focus on ideas of equality, social justice, and democracy, where public open spaces might no longer be platforms for social and cultural growth but resources for financial or other interests. Safe public open spaces in cities are among the priorities of recently adopted global development agendas, of which Serbia and Nepal are signatories. Noise in the city, as well as the light intensity are factors that might have an important impact on perceived safety of public open spaces, especially at night. Despite technical, architectural and natural solutions that could be employed to address the issue, it has not been properly acted upon, leading it to a perception of urban insecurity. In December 2023, the research on sound and light intensity was conducted in five public open spaces in Novi Sad, and five in Kathmandu at night, utilizing both, calibrated instruments: TES-1358A Sound Level Meter (SLM) and a PeachTech 5025 Compact Digital Lux meter, as well as available mobile phone applications. The conference paper presents a set of evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and architects to enhance the safety and usability of public open spaces in face of noise and light intensity challenges.