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This study aims to examine the relationships among some important factors and perceived personal safety in public places, using Nigerian urban shopping centers as case studies. Following the evidence from previous studies, the present study hypothesizes that individual characteristics influence perceived personal safety in shopping centers, and users’ perceived safety is affected by the shopping centers’ environmental attributes.

Two shopping centers were selected as cases for the study. Systematic sampling technique was used to select participants. Respondents were asked to answer closed-ended questions pertaining to environmental-design satisfaction, socio-economic and demographic characteristics and shopping center use. In total, 784 users participated in the survey. However, only 440 users properly completed the interview: 219 from Aleshinloye and 221 from Gbagi. Environmental design, socio-economic and demographic characteristics and shopping center use are independent variables, whereas perceived safety is a dependent variable. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis and Man–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests.

Results show that fear of crime is the most important factor, explaining 28.16 per cent of the total variance in perceived safety. Nevertheless, findings show that demographic factors have a significant impact on perceived safety as well. There is also a strong association between perceived safety and the use of shopping centers, as Aleshinloye, which is perceived safer, has been more frequently used than Gbagi. Furthermore, environmental design appears as a significant factor for perceived safety in shopping centers, as users of Aleshinloye’s facilities have a better perceived safety from crime, better way-finding ability and more environmental-design satisfaction than users of Gbagi.

The study recommends the provisions of design or security precautions that prevent the fear of crime and improve way-finding capacity and environmental-design satisfaction in urban shopping facilities. Specifically, it is important to have environmental security precautions such as closed circuit televisions, good and functional lighting and private security staff, especially for women and the elderly, in urban commercial centers as these precautions could enhance their sense of personal safety.

Previous studies on shopping centers’ security have mainly concentrated on the relationship between fear of crime, perceived safety and associated factors. No studies to date have explored how way-finding ability affects perceived safety of users of shopping centers. This study contributes to the existing literature, revealing way-finding anxiety to be another important dimension of perceived safety in urban shopping centers.

Tourism has become a sustainable and viable tool in place making or community revitalization process. Residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts are critical to the sustainability of the tourism industry. This study follows a quantitative research approach to examine how variation in patronage pattern impact its host community using Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as a case study.

Primary data from 324 residents are analysed using mean scores, chi-square and one-way ANOVA analysis. Secondary data such as the number of monthly patronage and precipitation and temperature were also analysed.

The findings revealed that the majority of residents do not patronize the tourism destination and that patronage patterns were seasonal and varied within and between seasons in Olumo. The perception of the residents living adjacent to the tourism destination established that they experienced positive and sometimes negative regardless of the season of the year or the proximity residential neighbourhood to tourism destination.

The findings of this study are sufficiently valuable to merit further investigation. It also provides an important spatial–temporal platform for future tourism impacts variability research in Nigeria and other countries in the tropic region. Furthermore, it is apparent from this study that temporal analyses in a given tourism destination may not translate effectively into another. In this respect, tourism managers in Olumo Rock should be aware of fluctuation in patronage pattern so as to introduction other attraction components at the right season.