Have you ever considered how gender-sensitive approaches can positively shape design practices and policy in cities? Dr Niki Kalms will talk about the work by the Monash University’s XYX Lab that investigate this, including geo-locative mapping projects Safer Cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Delhi, Lima, Kampala, and Madrid) and the Gender Equality Map (Victoria).
Operating at the intersection of gender, identity, urban space, and advocacy the data generated by the XYX Lab provides a clearer picture of gender inequity in public spaces. What this data has made clear is that the avalanche of sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls – and their subsequent perceptions of safety in urban places – requires urgent attention.
Niki will discuss how the XYX Lab is challenging our preconceptions about how to design safer cities. She will outline how the innovative processes of speculative co-design are used by the XYX Lab to incentivize planners, policymakers, local government and stakeholders to engage with the diverse needs of underrepresented communities in urban space and planning.
This forum will took on 21 August. A recording of livestream is available below.