New app maps how safe Brussels residents feel in real time — and you can take part

The feeling of safety is deeply personal, and in Brussels it is also a significant public concern. With two in three women reporting that they regularly feel unsafe in the capital, researchers at VUB are testing a new way to measure how security is experienced.

To capture these moments of (un)safety, the Brussels Institute for Social and Population Research has launched a citizen survey in the form of an app called Moment.

Residents and visitors can record in real time when and where they feel safe or unsafe, linking their experiences to specific locations and time frames.

The study considers safety not only in numerical terms, but also as something people experience in a specific place at a given moment.

Perceived unsafety can stem from many factors: for some, it may be poorly lit streets; for others, isolation or unfamiliar surroundings. The study aims to take these experiences seriously by making both individual and collective perceptions visible.

The app sends prompts as users move through Brussels and operates completely anonymously. The collected data could then help inform urban planning and local policy decisions, contributing to safer, more inclusive and accessible public spaces.

How does it work?

After downloading the Moments app, users create an account. Anyone over 18 who is present in Brussels can participate.

Participants first complete a short questionnaire about their background and prior experiences. Afterwards, whenever they are near one of the research locations, they receive a prompt asking them to complete a short survey about how safe or unsafe they feel — and why.

There are more than 100 research locations across Brussels where experiences are collected in real time.

Professor Theun Pieter van Tienoven explains: “If we want to make our public space safer for everyone, we need to better understand how it is actually experienced. That experience differs depending on the person, the place and the moment. This research helps to map that difference.”

The app launched on 23 February and the data collection phase runs until summer 2026. However, each volunteer participates for a period of four weeks. Once that period ends, participants are notified.

The results of the study are expected in 2027.