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
This paper explores the exclusion of teenage girls from public spaces, particularly parks and recreation grounds. Teenage girls face multiple challenges in accessing and utilising these spaces. This has an impact on their well-being and sense of inclusion in the community.
The key issue 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.
Principles for effective engagement with teenage girls are emerging. However, larger-scale practical projects are required to identify the impact of inclusive design on the ground. 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.
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.