Our Voice Matters – Women’s Safety in Public Open Spaces

I always consider it a great privilege record research content, especially on such an important subject as urban design for women’s safety.

When chosen to narrate a film entitled ‘Women’s Safety and Security in Public Open Spaces’ for the University of Leeds, I was naturally engaged with the content: My university, my city and the red-hot issue of urban design for women and girls.

Strange but true, I can often be found pondering town-planning issues. I even released a song once, inspired by the layout of a road junction. (See below).

The timely research, led by Dr May Newisar of The School of Civil Engineering, explores how “the lack of gender-sensitive urban planning fails to address the specific 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 open spaces a source of anxiety and danger for countless women.”

The film concludes that we need to find ways to include the views of a wider group of women, and a call to action: “Get involved, speak up. Let’s make cities where everyone feels safe…..our voices matter.”

To even know what women friendly spaces might be, is a collective challenge. While we should develop techniques for improving design on a physical level, it seems the biggest barrier to women friendly spaces, is the tendency for women not to have a prominent voice in urban design. And considering how spaces are actually used, this makes no sense whatsoever.

It was great to be able to voice this message, and I’ve enjoyed following the research, which you can read about (and watch the film) here.

Then listen below to proof of my claims to have written a song about road design. It may sound familiar if you’ve ever heard my voiceover reel. Enjoy!