Site experience walks with women, girls, and gender-diverse people developed a shared perception for LLDC’s work in hotspot sites. A Women and Girls Safety Charter was signed by local key stakeholders and landowners to ensure an approach that aligns with the findings. The engagement project intends to influence infrastructure and planning powers, such as the allocation of Section 106 monies and the use of the neighbourhood portion of Community Infrastructure Levy.

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

LLDC: Planning Policy, Design and Regeneration design

Describe the context of the community engagement. Why did the engagement take place? How were the results of the community engagement shared with the project team and community?

For many years, the needs of women and girls have been overlooked in urban design and planning. This stems from a lack of easily accessible gender-disaggregated data and minimal involvement of women and girls in design and decision-making processes. Unfortunately, this oversight contributes to an environment conducive to limiting the freedom of women and in certain instances, assault and harassment, worsening gender inequality. LLDC has committed to a systematic approach to address gender inclusion issues, resulting in the development of an innovative Guidance focused on creating places that work for women and girls. To prepare this document, LLDC actively engaged with over 600 women and girls over three years. Utilising a variety of engagement methods, from online platforms and face-to-face street surveys to focus groups and innovative techniques e.g. experience walks. The Guidance has now become a central to LLDC’s decision-making process, integrated into every urban development project within the area. At its core, the document emphasizes lived experiences of women and girls. Notably, highlighting the requirement for participatory assessment, involving women and girls in major developments, to capture and respond to their experiences in the design process. As a model for community engagement, their active involvement in shaping urban spaces goes beyond mere consultation. The integration of the Guidance into decision-making processes reflects the LLDC’s commitment to meaningful connections with women and girls. Through prioritising gender inclusion, LLDC has set a commendable standard for community engagement in urban planning, contributing to the creation of more equitable and inclusive cities.

Tell us what you did, and how you did it. What was your approach in talking to the community? How did you ensure participants were representative of the demographic of the place and hard-to-reach groups?

Our community engagement initiative adopted a systematic and inclusive approach to understanding the diverse needs of intersectional women and girls. Using Commonplace, respondents could anonymously pinpoint areas of concern in their locality. Recognizing that this method might not reach hard-to-reach groups, we complemented it with face-to-face street surveys. These surveys were conducted with a brief to monitor demographic representation to ensure the diversity and inclusivity of this process. The survey was complemented by in-depth engagement through exploratory walks with 14 local women. Our team spent a month recruiting women to participate in these walks. Throughout the process, we diligently ensured participants represented the local demographic and included hard-to-reach groups. Participants were treated as experts and financially rewarded for their involvement. Collaborating with a social researcher and an urban planning expert, we combined academic rigor with practical insights. Experience walks were facilitated by a gender champion to ensure this sensitive topic was approached with empathy and care and included women, girls, and gender-diverse people from traditionally under-represented ethnic groups. During the site experience walks, women, girls, and gender-diverse people were invited to share their perception of the hotspot sites using a survey tool containing the attributes definitions they had co-created at the start. The tool also allowed the group to add any additional comments they had about their perception and experience of the site. The project team also engaged during the night hours in one of the hotspot locations to hear from the local community experiencing the site at night. 

How was the feedback incorporated into decision making? Can you share how the project outcome has been shaped by the engagement?

The feedback gathered from the community walks played a pivotal role in shaping decision-making processes and influencing the overall design guidance. The insights gained during the walks became a central component of the design guidance, allowing us to understand the nuanced experiences of women and girls in the urban environment. For instance, specific feedback on lighting, wayfinding, signage, and overall management strategies derived from the engagement, directly influenced the content of the guidance. Establishing a template, refining the structure and methods of collecting feedback, ensured that ongoing community engagement is informed by the lessons learned from the initial phase, creating a sustainable and evolving model for involving the community in decision-making processes. The engagement not only influenced the design guidance but also played a crucial role in shaping broader project outcomes. The communities input informed design solutions and associated strategies within the site area, addressing concerns raised during the engagement process. For example, understanding key routes for local residents to and from the site allowed for targeted improvements, ensuring the project aligns with practical needs and experiences of the community. Additionally, the feedback influenced infrastructure lists and planning powers, such as the allocation of Section 106 monies and the neighbourhood portion of Community Infrastructure Levy monies. This financial support is now directed toward making meaningful improvements to the area, ensuring that the project outcome is not only shaped by community engagement but also actively contributes to enhancing the urban environment in a way that reflects the community’s priorities and aspirations.