MARGIN · Project

Data Tools to Measure and Reduce Perceived Insecurity in Urban Areas

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People in different neighborhoods feel unsafe for very different reasons — and it's often not just about actual crime rates. MARGIN surveyed 15,400 citizens across 5 European countries and combined their answers with police statistics to figure out what really drives that feeling of insecurity. Think of it as a "security thermometer" that goes beyond crime numbers to capture things like trust in institutions, social exclusion, and personal wellbeing. The result is a database and comparison tools that let city planners and police see the gap between real crime and how safe people actually feel.

By the numbers

15,400

Citizens surveyed across EU countries

EU countries covered by anthropological fieldwork

100

Key end-users targeted for final knowledge-sharing event

Consortium partners

Countries represented in consortium

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities and municipalities struggle to understand why residents feel unsafe, because police crime statistics only tell half the story. The gap between actual crime rates and perceived insecurity leads to misallocated security budgets and interventions that miss the real drivers of fear — social exclusion, distrust of institutions, and demographic vulnerability.

The solution

What was built

MARGIN built a public project website and a "smart aggregation" database that stores and compares official police statistics with citizen victimization survey data. They also developed and validated a thematic survey instrument tested on 15,400 citizens across 5 EU countries, plus anthropological fieldwork findings on socio-cultural determinants of insecurity perception.

Audience

Who needs this

Urban security consultancies advising municipalities on public safety strategiesReal estate analytics firms assessing neighborhood risk and livabilityGovTech companies building public safety dashboards for local governmentsInsurance companies modeling neighborhood risk beyond crime statisticsUrban planners and smart city solution providers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Security Consulting

SME

Target: Security consultancies advising municipalities on public safety strategies

If you are a security consultancy advising cities on safety interventions — this project developed a database and analytical tools that compare official police statistics with citizen victimization survey data across 5 EU countries. You could use these validated survey instruments and comparison methods to offer data-driven security assessments that go beyond crime rates to measure actual citizen perception of safety.

PropTech / Real Estate Analytics

mid-size

Target: Real estate analytics firms that assess neighborhood safety for investors and developers

If you are a real estate analytics firm that needs to quantify neighborhood safety for investment decisions — this project built a validated survey methodology tested on 15,400 citizens that measures perception of insecurity across demographic and socio-economic variables. Integrating these indicators could give your property risk models a more accurate picture of how safe residents actually feel, beyond raw police data.

GovTech / Public Policy Software

SME

Target: Software companies building dashboards and analytics for local governments

If you are a GovTech company building public safety dashboards for municipalities — this project created a smart aggregation database that lets users contrast objective crime data with subjective insecurity measures. Licensing or adapting this methodology could differentiate your platform by showing city officials not just where crime happens, but where citizens feel most vulnerable and why.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access MARGIN's tools or methodology?

MARGIN was a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), meaning its outputs are primarily methodologies, survey instruments, and a public database rather than commercial products. The project website and database were designed to be available to relevant users. Licensing terms for commercial adaptation would need to be discussed with the coordinator at Universitat de Barcelona.

Can these tools scale to cover cities or countries not in the original study?

The survey methodology was validated across 5 EU countries with 15,400 respondents, covering diverse demographic and socioeconomic groups. This cross-country design suggests the instruments could be adapted to other European contexts. However, the anthropological fieldwork component would need to be replicated locally for each new country or region.

Who owns the intellectual property — can we license the survey instruments?

As a publicly funded EU project coordinated by Universitat de Barcelona, the survey methodology and database are likely accessible for research and public-sector use. Commercial licensing of the validated survey instruments would require direct discussion with the consortium. The project had 7 partners across 5 countries who may share IP rights.

Is there regulatory demand for this kind of insecurity measurement?

EU policy increasingly requires evidence-based approaches to urban security, and Crime Victimization Surveys are an internationally recognized tool alongside police statistics. Municipalities facing pressure to address social exclusion and community safety could use MARGIN's tools to demonstrate compliance with EU security policy recommendations.

How long would it take to integrate this into our existing systems?

The MARGIN database for smart aggregation was built to allow comparative analysis between police statistics and victimization data. Integration would depend on your existing data infrastructure. The project ran from 2015 to 2017, so adapting the methodology to current systems would require some updating work.

What kind of support is available from the project team?

The project ended in April 2017, so active support may be limited. However, the consortium included Universitat de Barcelona as coordinator plus 6 other partners including universities and one industry partner. The 19 deliverables produced during the project provide substantial documentation of the methodology.

Consortium

Who built it

The MARGIN consortium brings together 7 partners from 5 countries (Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, UK), led by Universitat de Barcelona. The mix is heavily academic — 3 universities and 3 other organizations (likely NGOs or public bodies), with just 1 industry partner and 1 SME. The 14% industry ratio signals this was designed as a research and policy coordination effort, not a commercial venture. For a business looking to commercialize these tools, you would primarily be working with university research teams rather than technology companies, which means IP discussions and product development would need a commercial partner to drive them forward.

UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONACoordinator · ES
DEPARTAMENT D'INTERIOR I SEGURETAT PUBLICA - GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCAparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Universitat de Barcelona, Spain — reach out through the university's research office or the project website contact page

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the MARGIN team to explore licensing the survey methodology or database? SciTransfer can arrange a direct conversation with the right people at Universitat de Barcelona.

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