IMPACT OF URBAN UPGRADING ON PERCEPTION OF SAFETY IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS: CASE STUDY OF BOUAKAL BATNA

The paper explores how modifications of urban space in informal settlements influence the residents’ quality of life and perceptions of safety. The case study is “Bouakal”, the oldest informal district in Batna, a middle city in Algeria. The aim is to measure the effects of urban upgrading practices in “Bouakal” by exploring two questions: In what ways did the interventions in this informal settlement affect the quality of life of the residents? In which ways do these effects correlate with changes in the perception of safety in this area? 141 interviewers among the residents were selected to collect levels of safety perceived. The paper concludes that urban upgrading had, indeed, improved the quality of life while affecting perception of safety in the settlement.