Exploring the effect of urban design on women's perceptions and patterns of use in public spaces
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Bartlett Sch of Architecture
Abstract
Understanding the causal relationships between intention (designer/planner) and perception (user/producer)
in urban design to outline new sensorial criteria and design parameters that integrate the gender perspective
into the design process for a more inclusive use of public spaces.
Abstract: The research project will study the perception of urban ambiances by women in public squares
designed in Western European cities in the past fifty years. The main objective will be to provide tools to help
practitioners, architects, planners, policy makers and other actors involved in the construction of public space
to implement strategies to counter gender inequalities in modern urban developments. It will look at the tools
and parameters used by planners to design these spaces nowadays and at the new technologies available for
designers to incorporate new sensory criteria into the design process. The objective of the work will be to
understand the relationship between quantitative design parameters and qualitative outcome (sensory
experiences) in the urban design process to try outline a new framework promoting a more qualitative
approach to urban design.
Medieval cities grew little by little in accordance with changing needs, in contrast to the rapid tempo of
modernism's large-scale planning. [...] The solution is not to recreate pre-modern cities, but to develop
contemporary tools that can be applied analytically to once again forge an alliance between life and space in
cities. (Gehl, Svarre, 2013, pp.3)
As highlighted by Jan Gehl, public spaces within modern urban development have often been forgotten, overly
rationalised and designed by large-scale thinking, rather than in a local/human way. This research project will
look at this specific type of urban spaces to provide a greater level of understanding of the current methods
used by designers and their impact on ambiances, perceptions and human behaviours in public spaces.
Ultimately, the study will aim to outline the potential emergence of new tools, more adapted to contemporary
issues and inequalities such as the question of gender in the urban space.
in urban design to outline new sensorial criteria and design parameters that integrate the gender perspective
into the design process for a more inclusive use of public spaces.
Abstract: The research project will study the perception of urban ambiances by women in public squares
designed in Western European cities in the past fifty years. The main objective will be to provide tools to help
practitioners, architects, planners, policy makers and other actors involved in the construction of public space
to implement strategies to counter gender inequalities in modern urban developments. It will look at the tools
and parameters used by planners to design these spaces nowadays and at the new technologies available for
designers to incorporate new sensory criteria into the design process. The objective of the work will be to
understand the relationship between quantitative design parameters and qualitative outcome (sensory
experiences) in the urban design process to try outline a new framework promoting a more qualitative
approach to urban design.
Medieval cities grew little by little in accordance with changing needs, in contrast to the rapid tempo of
modernism's large-scale planning. [...] The solution is not to recreate pre-modern cities, but to develop
contemporary tools that can be applied analytically to once again forge an alliance between life and space in
cities. (Gehl, Svarre, 2013, pp.3)
As highlighted by Jan Gehl, public spaces within modern urban development have often been forgotten, overly
rationalised and designed by large-scale thinking, rather than in a local/human way. This research project will
look at this specific type of urban spaces to provide a greater level of understanding of the current methods
used by designers and their impact on ambiances, perceptions and human behaviours in public spaces.
Ultimately, the study will aim to outline the potential emergence of new tools, more adapted to contemporary
issues and inequalities such as the question of gender in the urban space.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sophia Psarra (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Constance Desenfant (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/R513143/1 | 01/10/2018 | 30/09/2023 | |||
| 2083422 | Studentship | EP/R513143/1 | 24/09/2018 | 24/06/2025 | Constance Desenfant |
| Description | Since I started this study in 2018, I have developed a methodology for the analysis of residential public spaces based on the key variables affecting the perception of safety for women according to the literature review. These are the network accessibility of the spaces, the assessment of its virtual community, the analysis of the density built and massing as well as the the analysis of the embodied vision for people walking through these spaces. These key parameters will be analysed statistically against perceptions which will be collected for female participants between 18 and 35 y/o during the case studies. The hypothesis developed is that if we focus on the capacity of an urban layout to increase the feeling of safety for women, its ability to generate a suitable density of buildings and people appears to be key. The literature review demonstrated that both local and global factors need to be considered to create this and these concepts of network accessibility, virtual community, massing and embodied vision appear to be a good starting point to translate the spatial and social conditions associated with the perception of fear or safety into analytical variables that can be built into the methodology. The idea is to compare various public spaces both in terms of their spatial and morphological characteristics and in terms of the perceptions occurring within them which should enable to confirm the hypothesis that there is a link between morphological characteristics of the built environment and female perceptions. The findings will be reviewed theoretically to better define the larger significance of the study. This research project is expected to innovate mostly on a methodological level by providing a new way to assess gendered perceptions in regards to morphological variability. The ultimate objective will be to guide designers and planners in their decisions based on the framework developed. This guidance, which will be based on the objective perception of female users - detached from any social and cultural context - will ensure that the basic design parameters ensuring safety for women are integrated into the design process. |
| Exploitation Route | Once this study will be complete and the hypothesis is confirmed i.e. it will have been demonstrated that there is a link between morphological characteristics of public spaces and female perceptions, then it will be possible to reuse the methodology developed to investigate how this relationship might change depending on the group of users concerned (other minority groups could be explored such as the elderly, children, migrants or else). |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/showcase/8991882/video/671957182 |
| Description | The results of the study will be useful to design professionals in ensuring successful levels of safety in their designs. They will be able to test their plans in advance to anticipate the effects of their actions. Designing public spaces that generate feelings of safety can have a direct impact on the quality of life of urban dwellers, since it affects everyday life. The final framework and design guidance developed on morphological variability should assist practitioners in working towards more diverse and inclusive projects while creating quality spaces accessible and inviting for women, both physically and mentally. It will also guide planners in designing new policies that promote safe environments for women. Once the methodology will have been tested in the case studies, I will be able to adapt it to investigate how different minority groups react to these morphological variables so that guidance can be provided for other user groups such as the elderly, children or migrants. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Environment,Transport |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |