Final answer:
Perception of safety is influenced by external lighting, personal experiences and biases, proximity to emergency services, weather, and cultural factors. Good lighting and close emergency services typically enhance perceived safety, while landscape disorder and cultural contexts can modify perceptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The perception of safety can be influenced by multiple factors. External lighting conditions are important as areas that are poorly lit can be seen as more dangerous, since potential attackers could find hiding spots. This is often due to personal experiences and biases, where previous encounters or societal narratives shape an individual's level of fear or comfort in certain environments. Moreover, the proximity to emergency services can significantly affect the perceived safety, with closer access to these services generally contributing to a greater sense of security. However, it's not only about weather-related factors, which while impactful, are part of a broader suite of issues that can affect how safe an environment feels. Aspects like disorder in the landscape, signified through graffiti, litter, and vandalism, are also considered to evoke fear, as suggested by the Broken Window Theory in the context of crime. Cultural influences are also noteworthy as they shape how individuals perceive environments based on regular visual cues within their cultural context.