The growing sense of insecurity among women represents one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary cities, especially in dense and deteriorated urban areas. This issue is not solely the result of crime occurrence but rather a consequence of women’s subjective perceptions of space, environmental surveillance, and institutional trust. In District 12 of Tehran — a central urban area characterized by physical decay, social vulnerability, and inadequate smart infrastructure — women’s perceived safety has become highly dependent on the interplay of spatial, social, and technological factors. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the structural factors influencing women’s perceived safety with an emphasis on smart urban components.

This research is applied in purpose and descriptive–survey in method. Data were gathered through a researcher-designed questionnaire administered to 384 women residing in District 12 of Tehran, selected through simple random sampling. The validity and reliability of the instrument were verified through Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability indices. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via SmartPLS 4 software.

The results reveal that smart urban technologies exert the greatest total effect (0.48) on enhancing women’s perceived safety. Environmental quality and responsive urban design follow with total effects of 0.42 and 0.37, respectively. Additionally, social interaction and institutional trust, with total effects of 0.24 and 0.22, act as mediating pathways transmitting technological and spatial impacts to women’s perceived safety. The R² value of 0.61 for the dependent construct indicates satisfactory model fit and explanatory power.

The findings emphasize that improving women’s perceived safety requires a synergistic integration of technology, design, and social trust. Sustainable urban safety can only emerge when smart interventions are embedded within socially inclusive and participatory environments.