When taking a gender lens to urban planning, it is often from the perspective of women. That is, women past their teenage years. But what about teenage girls? A UK study found that teenage girls feel parks and public spaces are not for them. There is nothing they want to use. That’s because no-one includes girls in the planning and design of these important places for young people.
Make Space for Girls is a UK charity that campaigns for parks and public spaces designed with the needs of teenage girls in mind. “This simple statement reveals a significant disadvantage which has been hiding in plain sight”.
Image from the research paper showing a multi-use games area (MUGA).
For many years, girls and young women have been effectively designed out of parks and other public spaces. These spaces are not designed for teenage girls for for a range of reasons including safety, facilities and spaces dominated by boys. But most of all, it happens because the voices of teenage girls are rarely heard at any stage in the commissioning, design or management of these places.
When thinking about providing something for teenagers, it is usually either a skate park, multi-use games area (MUGA) or a BMX track. In the UK these three types of equipment make up 90% of provisions for teenagers. And young men and boys dominate these spaces.
Engaging girls
In general, young people aged 16-18 are not considered in the overall development process. The situation is even more pronounced for girls. 82% of girls said that they wanted to be more involved in designing parks and open spaces.
Image from the research paper showing participant engagement
As many other studies found, engagement needs to happen from the outset of the project including shaping the initial brief. A key point is that girls need sufficient time and support to develop their own ideas. Their past experiences of un-welcoming space means their thinking has to start from scratch.
Key elements for design
In terms of what teenage girls want to see in public spaces, the results are consistent across a diverse range of groups. Common themes include:
- Dividing up spaces so they can used by more than one group at the same time
- Better lighting and circular paths
- Seating which allows girls to face each other and talk
- Swings, hammocks and gym bars
- Performance spaces
- Good quality toilets
Image from the research paper showing an artist’s impression of an inclusive space
Disadvantages girls face include other factors such as ethnic background, disability, gender identity and socio-economic status. Girls of colour are also more likely to be the victims of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. This means engagement and co-design methods require a diverse group of teenage girls.
The title of the research paper is, Making Spaces for Girls. Their Right to the Public Realm.
From the abstract
Teenage girls face multiple challenges in accessing and utilising public spaces. This has an impact on their well-being and sense of inclusion in the community.
The key factor is that the needs of teenage girls are not considered in the design of parks and spaces. Facilities intended for teenagers, such as skate parks, Multi-Use Games Areas, and BMX tracks, predominantly cater to the interests of boys.
Dominance by boys can discourage girls from participating in outdoor activities thereby impacting their health and wellbeing. Consequently, teenage girls perceive public spaces as unwelcoming. Teenage girls report feeling unsafe in public spaces due to various factors, including sexual harassment.
Key design points for girls are physical security and a sense of belonging in a space. The active engagement of teenage girls in the design process is essential to ascertain their diverse perspectives and needs.
This research contributes to a growing discourse on gender-inclusive urban planning. A paradigm shift that prioritises the needs and voices of teenage girls in shaping public spaces is critical.
Safe public spaces for girls
Public spaces aren’t equal places. That is, some people don’t feel safe or welcome in particular places. It seems this is the case for teenage girls. According to some Swedish research, public spaces aren’t used equally by girls and boys. So creating safe public spaces for girls is a challenge for urban and landscape designers.
Until the age of seven, boys and girls use public facilities, such playgrounds, on an equal basis to boys. According to a 2020 Girl Guides UK survey, 62 percent of girls aged 11-21 years said they didn’t have an outdoor sport or facility they felt safe to use. What would encourage them to go out? Safer places, less catcalling and more things to do they said.
Teenage invaders?
Girls like to use swings but they are placed with the equipment for young children. If teenagers use them they are seen as invaders – not welcome. Branko Miletic in Architecture and Design magazine says,
“Come to think of it, teenagers are seen as invaders in most public spaces: they are too old for playgrounds, don’t have the money for malls or cafes, and also run the risk of harassment in public facilities overrun by boys and men. But they also yearn for physical activity and movement, connecting with friends, having fun conversations, walking and biking, and indulging in sports and games at their own pace, without being judged or commented upon in a public space.”
Multi-use areas such as skate parks, basketball courts and kickabout areas are designed for ‘young people’. However, boys and young men tendt to dominate these areas. Boys tend to dominate single large spaces while girls are more comfortable in broken-up spaces. In terms of seating, boys want to watch the action while girls like to face each other to talk.
Ask the girls
The answer, of course is to involve girls in the design process. Ask them what they want in a public space. A local authority in Sweden together with architects constructed a model designed with girls. The design revealed a preference for places with colour, sitting face to face, protected from weather, and to see without necessarily being seen.
Public spaces must cater for all ages. It’s not just about physical activity, it about social interaction and feeling safe. It would be interesting to do a similar study with older people so we can create intergenerational spaces too.
The title of the article in Architecture and Design is, Designing safe public spaces for teenage girls.
Let her guide you
A thematic issue of The Journal of Public Space focuses on women and girls looks at incorporating gender and youth perspective into urban planning. The title is Urban Development Together with Girls and Young Women.
From the Editorial abstract
Traditionally, urban planning has been shaped by a gendered perspective that privileges masculine assumptions. These assumptions overlook intersectional needs and reinforce societal inequalities for women and girls.
This thematic issue was developed in partnership with UN-Habitat as part of the Her City initiative. It underscores the imperative of incorporating gender and youth perspectives into urban planning and design. The Her City Initiative advances this goal by equipping urban actors worldwide with tools to integrate the perspectives of girls and young women into urban development.
This special issue features papers by young academic scholars selected from the Her City Master students’ alumni network, including case studies of feminist planning from Heerlen (The Netherlands), Nairobi (Kenya), Stockholm (Sweden), and Weimar (Germany).
It also includes a diverse range of invited viewpoints advocating for collaborative approaches to urban development together with girls and young women.
By centring gender and youth perspectives in the urban planning process, this issue highlights the potential to transform public spaces into more equitable, engaging, and sustainable environments. It calls on city makers, researchers, and community leaders to ensure that contemporary cities are designed with and for everyone.