Really? I always get a little sketched out at City Walk at night. It seems to attract a very different clientele than PI and while I do think they have great restaurants and clubs they seem to attract a lot more young teens and what not.
Opposite for me. What most don't realize, is PI (as well as Downtown Disney) has free transportation to and from. I find it too crowed, and while I never had any true bad experience, I've seen and heard of enough bad encounters (especially the West Side).
I find City Walk a lot more cozy, less congested, and dare I say - more safer. Security is tighter - as everything is close by - and while the drawback of actually paying for parking is discouraging, it's also a good thing, for it decreases the amount of would-be crimes (not to say crimes does not happen in City Walk - but unlike Downtown Disney, City Walk only attracts those that can afford it, subtracting those that can't - and those that can't that would target others').
If I am not mistaken, robberies happen quite often in Downtown Disney.
You are right though - City Walk's audience is a little different compared to Downtown Disney. A lot more CPs in Downtown Disney. But I think that will change.
And of course, my argument isn't real strong. One can say Downtown Disney is more safe than Old Town (which is also a fairly popular spot, some CPs don't even know much about). This is just coming from my own preference. Overall, I prefer City Walk over Downtown Disney.