London Women and Planning Forum
www.lwpf.org

PUBLIC SPACE IN THE CITY

Wednesday 22 February 2006

2 – 6 pm

The City Centre Seminar Room
Francis Bancroft Building

Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS


Public spaces are essential to the quality of urban life, and are a central
focus of the government’s ‘cleaner, safer and greener’ agenda for urban
regeneration. Parks, squares, markets and other public spaces should be open
and accessible to, and enjoyed by, everyone. But many public spaces in the city
are poorly designed and badly managed, and exclude many urban residents,
particularly women, because of concerns about access and safety.

In a 2005 Demos report, Melissa Mean and Charlie Tims concluded that public
spaces are ‘co-produced’ and that key principles for their development include:
leaving room for self-organization; diversifying activities to encourage diverse
people to participate; and maximizing access and availability (www.demos.co.uk).
This report is part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation research programme on
‘Social value of public spaces,’ which aims to improve the understanding of how
people use public spaces, the extent to which public spaces are shared places,
and implications for neighbourhoods and for the planning, design and management
of public spaces (www.jrf.org.uk).

As part of the ESRC-funded seminar series on ‘Capital Designs: Women and
Planning in Contemporary London,’ this seminar addresses public spaces as
gendered spaces, and considers the ways in which London’s public spaces can be
made safer, more accessible and sociable for women. Key questions include:

 How and why do women and men use public spaces differently?
 How is the social value of public spaces, and the ability to share
public spaces, shaped by gender?
 To what extent is gender mainstreamed in the planning and management of
urban public spaces?

Three talks will focus on current work in this area by the Commission for
Architecture and the Built Environment, the Women’s Design Service, and the
Greater London Authority.




Speakers
Helen Bowes		Greater London Authority
Public space in London is a key part of the GLA’s strategy on planning and
development. Speaking about the second phase of the Mayor’s 100 Public Spaces
Programme, Ken Livingstone said: ‘The work recently completed on Trafalgar
Square shows what an enormous difference well-planned public spaces can make to
our appreciation of the city, but good design shouldn’t be reserved for London’s
iconic attractions.’ The Architecture and Urbanism Unit has identified fourteen
projects for the second phase of the Programme, which are largely located in
outer London: ‘the kind of spaces we all use every day.’ Through this
Programme, the London Plan, and the plans for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games, the GLA is working to revitalize and develop everyday and iconic public
spaces in the city. Working with the investment programmes of Transport for
London and the London Development Agency, the GLA seeks ‘to ensure that public
space improvement is integrated with other projects to improve the quality of
life for Londoners’ (www.london.gov.uk).

Wendy Davis		Director of the Women’s Design Service
The Women’s Design Service ‘works to ensure that the design and use of the built
environment reflects the needs and aspirations of women’ and ‘looks forward to a
future where all our buildings, transport systems, streets, parks and open
spaces are designed to incorporate the needs of women.’ As a key part of this
work, the Making Safer Places project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund (formerly
the Community Fund England), has addressed the safety of women in public spaces,
focusing on ‘the experience of black and minority ethnic women, older women and
disabled women, whose social and physical vulnerability – both real and
perceived – makes an impact on their quality of life.’ Developing from this
work, WDS was commissioned by the GLA in 2004 to produce a toolkit around
Women’s Safety in Parks and Open Spaces, and is working in partnership with
Anne Thorne Architects to deliver the toolkit in 2006. This work focuses on
four very different parks: Spa Fields, Islington; Ruislip Woods, Hillingdon;
Burgess Park, Southwark; and Greenwich Park (www.wds.org.uk).

Julia Thrift		Director of CABE Space
CABE Space, established in 2003, is part of the Commission for Architecture and
the Built Environment and is publicly funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister. CABE Space ‘aims to bring excellence to the design, management and
maintenance of parks and public space in our towns and cities. Parks and other
public spaces are for everyone, places to live and breathe, walk and run, rest
or play. They are where we meet together, where we stop to reflect, where we
revive our spirits. But many of these spaces are poorly designed and badly
managed.’ Through its work with local authorities and other bodies responsible
for public space, CABE Space encourages ‘local councils to think holistically
about their green space, and what it means for residents’ health and well
being, routes to school and work, and recreation through play and sport. Our
goal is to ensure that every person in England has easy access to well designed
and well looked after public space’ (www.cabespace.org.uk).

Discussant
Vicky Cattell		Queen Mary, University of London
Vicky Cattell is a sociologist and a Senior Research Fellow in the Wolfson
Institute for Preventive Medicine, QMUL. Her research has centred on the role
of co-operative social ties in poor neighbourhoods.  Her current research
includes a study on ‘Public spaces and social relations in East London’ with
Sarah Curtis, Nicholas Dines, and Wil Gesler
(www.wolfson.qmul.ac.uk/psychiatry/staff/cattell.htm). This research is funded
by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as part of its ‘Social value of public
spaces’ research programme. It focuses on the potential of public spaces for
social integration and cohesion, as well as health and well-being. A particular
feature of the research is its focus on social interaction in urban public
spaces, including casual interaction.

EMAIL: CLAIRE FREW, [log in to unmask] FOR REGISTRATION.