**5. Discussion**

There have been widespread ideas that the more people and activities in a space, the more secure it is and therefore the lower the feeling of FoC is. Indeed, in the old influential theorists' works like Wood [58], Jacobs [5], Angel [59], and Newman [60] or even in the recent works of Marzbali et al. [4], this idea remains very present. However, the key finding of this study disputes this preconceived notion. In some selected intersections in the Yaoundé city context, this study revealed that a high pedestrian density at an intersection above a certain threshold contributes to an increased FoC, thereby leading to low quality of life. As explained in Section 2.3., the distinctive contexts in Yaoundé city such as high crime rate, low level of social capital (mutual trust) [1,45,47], and overcrowded public

spaces could be seen as main causes of such discrepancies between previous studies and this study. This suggests another theory that can be considered in understanding FoC, which we have called 'density threshold theory', based on the principle that there is a density threshold beyond which an urban environment a ffects an individual's feeling of FoC. This theory could have applications in many other fields. For example, the minimum standard for public spaces could be established in terms of occupancy density. One important indicator to be considered would therefore be the 'density threshold' above which the space is considered unsuitable. Similar ideas exist in other areas. In architecture, for example, many countries regulate the maximum number of people per room by setting the Minimum House standards (Korea, UK, and France). In urban planning, the standard of 100 people per acre (248 ppha) is generally considered a necessary minimum for e ffective transportation and service [61] (p. 149).

The next issue we should consider is how to reduce FoC although Cordner [62] (p. 4) listed the main arguments against the adoption of targeted police measures to do it. FoC is a real phenomenon that deeply a ffects individuals and the community, and as a result, living continuously in a state of fear can significantly a ffect quality of life. Thus, it is necessary to take appropriate measures to mitigate this impact. According to the findings of this study, securing enough pedestrian-only spaces (e.g., sidewalk) in intersection areas may be one potentially e ffective measure in reducing FoC. This would reduce the density of pedestrians. Another measure to preserve pedestrian space is to prohibit all forms of illegal sidewalk occupations including informal activities, illegal parking, and temporary occupation of the sidewalk by vehicles and motor taxis when there are tra ffic jams. However, this measure must be examined with grea<sup>t</sup> caution with regards to the particular case of the prohibition of 'informal activities'. In fact, such activities are essential sources of income for many households, and therefore, in the case of displacement, it is important to take measures to provide displaced persons with fair and just compensation. Another measure to reduce pedestrian density would be to move bus stops away from the intersection and to adopt more appropriate zoning in general to move away from the intersection activities that attract a large density of people, such as markets and shopping centres. Overall, all measures that help reduce the number of people gathered and to encourage a more balanced use of the intersection area would be welcome. However, attention should be paid to the consequences of these measures at the same time. These measures should be targeted for greater e ffectiveness and adapted to the local context. Thus, more studies targeting specific areas are needed, like this study.
