HOW THE FEAR OF CRIME SPATIALLY DIFFERS AMONG THE DISTRICTS OF ISTANBUL

Istanbul is one of the most influenced cities from the process of increased rapid urbanization since 1950s. The rapid population growth has brought a number of urbanization problems such as crime and fear of crime caused by crime. Especially fear of crime negatively affects the citizens` quality of life. Therefore, fear of crime phenomenon is an important social problem that should be investigated extensively. The main aim of this study is mapping the citizens` fear of crime located in Istanbul using GIS. With the face to face survey methodology, results of four questions answered by 1,837 responders were used as a measure of fear of crime. It was found that the individuals feel themselves safe during daytime both in neighborhoods and home. Similarly, they never feel themselves unsafe after dark. Istanbul has the image of being an unsafe city. However, the results are in contrast with this general opinion.