Women’s Safety and Security in Public open spaces (WesafSpace)

Women’s safety in public open spaces is significantly compromised, affecting millions globally. Poorly designed environments, characterised by inadequate lighting, secluded areas, and insufficient surveillance, heighten the risk of harassment and violence. The lack of gender-sensitive urban planning fails to address the specific safety needs of women, leaving them particularly vulnerable. These challenges, exacerbated by societal attitudes and insufficient enforcement against gender-based violence, render daily activities in public spaces a source of anxiety and danger for countless women.

This project, led by the University of Leeds, is a crucial and timely initiative aimed at democratising women’s involvement in the decision-making processes regarding the design of their urban environments. By understanding the multifaceted nature of women’s safety in public spaces, this project emphasises inclusive and gender-sensitive urban planning to foster equitable and safe public spaces. It promotes the co-design of public spaces, involving women through innovative visual methods to create environments that are not only safer but also reflective of their experiences and needs, fostering a more inclusive and participatory urban development process.

The project addresses the critical issues of safety and inclusivity through workshops, participatory design sessions, and educational activities aimed at empowering women, especially from marginalised communities, to shape their urban spaces. Special emphasis is placed on addressing both physical and psychological safety in public areas, ensuring that women feel secure and comfortable in their surroundings.

With an interdisciplinary team comprising professionals from architecture, psychotherapy, and community activism, the project focuses on creating concrete strategies and design elements to enhance women's safety. This collaborative approach aims to generate actionable solutions that can be implemented globally, fostering innovation and mutual learning. The project aspires to serve as a model for broader adoption, promoting gender equity in public space design and urban development worldwide.

 

Impact

Empowerment of Women in Urban Design:
The project empowers women to actively participate in urban design processes, ensuring their safety concerns are directly addressed.

Creation of Safer and Inclusive Public Spaces:
Through participatory co-design methods, public spaces are tailored to meet the specific needs of women, making them safer, more welcoming, and inclusive.

Psychological and Physical Safety:
The project addresses both physical and psychological safety for women in public open spaces, reducing the anxiety and vulnerability experienced in urban environments.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration:
The collaboration between architects, psychotherapists, and community activists fosters an interdisciplinary approach, generating holistic solutions that account for diverse aspects of safety.

Contribution to Knowledge and Best Practices:
The project contributes valuable insights and best practices to the global body of knowledge on urban safety and gender-sensitive planning, offering a replicable model for other cities.

Influence on Local and Global Policy:
The project shapes urban planning policies in Leeds and beyond, promoting the adoption of gender-sensitive designs in public spaces and guiding future city planning initiatives.

Long-term Global Impact:
The initiative serves as a global model for reducing gender-based violence and harassment in public spaces, promoting gender equity, and improving the quality of life for women in urban areas worldwide.

Publications and outputs

•    Video for dissemination
 

•    Toolkit document for dissemination

•    Exhibition for women’s safety perception
(Art installation- participants abstract drawings and artwork on their perception of women’s safety. (Shine- Harehills Leeds).

Content and outputs

Exhibition for women’s safety perception
(Art installation- participants abstract drawings and artwork on their perception of women’s safety. (Shine- Harehills Leeds).

Paper presentation in-person “Visual Methods for Co-designing Safe Public Open Spaces for Women”
At Arts Media Politics Society (AMPS), Barcelona. Read the presentation.

Downloads

Download the Women’s safety and security project map

Project website

Funding Body website: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/horizons-institute