Urban Criminology

Researchers interested in the area of urban criminology, and more specifically, in the domains of protests, public order, policing of urban conflicts, securitization of public spaces, fear of crime, and surveillance are welcome to contact us for potential projects. Below there is a list of topics linked to this broader idea:

• Public Order and Conflicts in Public Spaces. Policing Riots; Surveillance of Public Demonstrations;
• Graffiti. Protest Stickers. The right to the city;
• Police and (surveillance) technologies: Drones, Body cams, surveillance platforms, CCTV and Smart CCTV, big data, tasers. The use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other social networks by the police. Police use of GIS and/or GPS applications;
• The use of smartphones as surveillance and counter-surveillance technologies. Fighting police brutality and abuse (for example by citizens recording police activities through the use of cellphones);
• Security and Surveillance Theatre: Security and Surveillance as Discourse, as Performance;
• Security of sport-mega-events; Crowd control; Policing of music festivals in Belgium; Security of public events like the gay pride;
• Undercover police;
• Neighborhood watch; Community policing; Proximity police, Vigilantism;
• Smart Cities, Internet of things and its relationship with security;
• Forensic Architecture: the use of architectural technologies to investigate cases of state violence and violations of human rights in cities;
• A critical approach to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and to Situational Crime Prevention;
• Architectures of fear; gated communities; Anti-homeless architectures;
• Policing and public order in nightlife spaces; 
• Missing people, missing children, and the role of police and surveillance;
• Media and violence; the image of the police portrayed by Latin American Films. The representation of “violent” places and neighbourhoods;
• Securitization of South-American cities. Any topic related to security, violence, fear, conflict and/or surveillance in Brazil;
• Women-only securitized spaces (e.g. women police stations and women-only metro wagons in Brazil);
• Neighbourhood social-spatial cohesion and its impacts on conflicts and criminality;
• The impact of anti-terrorism architectures on place-making.  

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