Gender-Sensitive Design for Public Spaces
I recently learned that in the 1800s most men opposed the installation of public toilets for women, because they gave women too much independence - London didn’t have them until 1893, even though the technology existed from 1851. (1) Humanity has come a long way since then though, right? Well, yes and no…
Next time you walk around your town or use public transport, take a look around: how does the space feel? If you’re male, try to put yourself in the perspective of women, disabled, LGBTQIA+ and vulnerable people, and people who have experienced harassment or abuse in public spaces. Is the space pleasant and welcoming, does it feel safe, is it somewhere where you’d sit and relax, could you navigate it easily with a pram, wheelchair or white stick? Is it easy to work out where you need to go? What if your baby needs changing or breastfeeding, or you need the toilet? What about after dark??
“Lack of public toilets, benches, wide pavements, and lighting are just a few of the inadequacies of our public spaces that we know make them exclusionary and lead to women, girls and minority communities feeling designed-out of these places.”
Jenny Divine, Royal Town Planning Institute (2)
In recent times, we have gone backwards in terms of public toilets
In the UK, there were 5,159 council-run toilets in 2010. That had dropped to 4,486 by 2018.
The Guardian (3)
Public space, even when not overtly hostile to women, does not usually accommodate, support or celebrate them - spaces were historically designed to be power-affirming and imposing, with little thought on actually using them, or on the needs of anyone other than cisgender, heterosexual, White, able-bodied men. There is still very little celebration or even acknowledgement of women - when was the last time you saw a statue of a woman or a building named after one? Whilst it is seemingly subtle, the subtext for women in public space is: you don't belong, this isn't for you, you don’t matter. Even if you don’t notice it or realise, if that’s all your experience is, then it’s going to affect you and your opinion of yourself.?
Layered on top of the exclusionary design is that many people feel downright unsafe whilst travelling and in public spaces, especially at night. In her user diary (4), one woman reported making 23 key decisions about her actions in relation to safety for a 20 minute journey home from her night shift at hospital - decisions that she revisits every time she does the journey. The mental load for that is exhausting in itself, as is always being on high alert with fear. Women generally carry this load without question, because they are conditioned to do so by experience and societal attitude. Side note: this is a great example of unseen privilege - of course men have to make some accommodations for safety when they travel at night, but do they make 23 accommodations per journey and do they even have the comprehension of the level that women experience? I don’t think so.
A lot of town centres are getting better for gender-sensitive design (apart from the lack of toilets and baby changing facilities!), but it’s rarely enough, plus the surrounding streets, other areas and transport hubs are often still hostile and dangerous - and we don’t just teleport into the main high street. If we want the existence outside of our homes that we should be entitled to, we still have to experience these difficulties several times a day.?
So what is it that women and other groups need?
The most important thing is to recognise that no one has all the answers and we can’t speak for everyone, so a diverse range of people needs to be involved with co-designing our shared spaces. In general though, there are a few key themes we know to be important from our research, notably from the ‘Getting Home Safely’ publication (4):
Disability, childcare and toilet provision: e.g. wide pavements, flat surfaces, public toilets and changing facilities, clear and contrasting signage
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Clear sight-lines: no dark spaces, overgrown shrubbery or unnecessary walls
Human presence: pleasant spaces to gather in, well-lit benches, clear glass bus stops, CCTV, good mix of diverse 24h activity (shops, bars etc), visible (and well-trained) security staff in travel hubs
Pleasant environment: clean, attractive spaces, representative artwork, trees, softer architecture
Transport: accommodating the kind of trips women need to make, e.g. multi-stop journeys going across town rather than commuting into it, demand-responsive transport, good connectivity and information sharing, secure and open cycle parking, digital tools, pedestrian areas
Community: safe havens, behavioural change and ownership.
What are we doing to create inclusive spaces?
At A Fleet for Change we are designing our service around the whole journey, not just the transport. Demand-responsive transport helps with some of the issues as it automatically removes the need to wait at dark bus stops in quiet areas, and being alone on that dangerous ‘last mile’ of the journey.?
We are champions of human-centred design and are conducting extensive research with a diverse range of people to gain a deep understanding of their behaviours, needs and fears. We will be co-designing our app and service with our future service users and refining concepts based on feedback along the way.?We will also be working with Sheffield University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
We are studying research that has been done before, looking at surveys on people’s perception of travel and safety, and reading toolkits on creating gender-sensitive spaces.?
We don’t want to deliver just an app and a service, we are going to be nurturing transformational social change. Promoting a culture where we look out for one another, through creating a sense of shared ownership, and a community of care. We have a behavioural expert on the team dedicated to helping us make this a reality.??
We want to be instrumental in creating a world where women and underrepresented groups are no longer held hostage to fear, lacking facilities (I had no idea when I started this article that toilets would feature so highly!) and a lack of consideration. Being the majority of the population, it feels slightly ridiculous to have to say this, but all these people do belong, they do matter and public spaces should undoubtedly be for them too.?