A Digital Humanities Approach to Study Women's Perceptions of Safety in the City of Milan: The STEP UP Project

This paper outlines the data collection phase of the “STEP UP - Walkability for Women in Milan” project, funded by Fondazione Cariplo (Grant No. 2022-1643), which aimed to assess walkability for women in Milan using geospatial data analysis methods. The project, which ended in February 2024, involved three phases: use case definition, data collection, and data analysis through advanced GIS mapping techniques. This paper focuses on the data collection phase, employing a digital humanities approach to gather location-based open data, Wher app data, survey questionnaires, and focus group discussions. Location-based open data and Wher app georeferenced data about women’s safety perceptions in the city of Milan were subsequently used to develop a statistical GIS analysis through a Geographically Weighted Regression model aimed at understanding the relationship between ratings of women’s safety perceptions and the built environment. Over 70,000 ratings and 4000 comments submitted by female users through the Wher app provided insights into their perceived security while walking. Additionally, a survey questionnaire and focus groups were conducted to evaluate participants’ needs and perceptions of safety. These data aimed to facilitate a detailed spatial analysis of nighttime safety perceptions for women and gender minorities in Milan, emphasizing a human-centered approach to gender-inclusive mobility research and addressing gaps in data collection for complex socio-spatial issues.