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Designing for Safety, Belonging & Joy

Founder - Susannah Walker, In Her Place

Insights from
Founder - Susannah Walker, In Her Place

Designing for women reveals what places are missing and makes them better for everyone.

 

Susannah Walker, founder of In Her Place, is on a mission to transform how we design our public realm – not just to make spaces safer for women and girls but to make them more joyful, welcoming and inclusive for everyone.

Her approach is grounded in gender mainstreaming, challenging the unconscious bias that shapes so much of our built environment. “It’s not that anyone set out to exclude women,” she explains. “But when you design everything for the ‘default male’, you leave out a huge part of the population – often without realising.”

The Low Bar of Safety and Why We Must Ask for More

Susannah challenges the narrow definition of “safety” that dominates planning conversations. Yes, reducing crime is critical. But the real goal should be to design spaces where women and girls feel they want to be – not just ones they can tolerate.

Through small but meaningful interventions – such as better lighting, diverse seating, clear sightlines and avoidance of isolated corners – developers can dramatically improve the sense of safety and comfort. But the ambition must go further: to create places of energy, diversity and delight.

Not being attacked shouldn’t be the measure of success. We want to feel joy, freedom and belonging – not just survive a walk home.

Three Actions Every Placemaking Team Should Take

When asked for her top three interventions, Susannah didn’t hesitate:

 

  1. Put gender on the agenda; simply thinking about women’s needs changes everything.
  2. Talk to local women and girls; they are experts in how spaces work (or don’t).
  3. Ensure women are represented – especially in senior design, planning and decision-making roles.

 

She stresses that consultation must be ongoing and meaningful, not just a tick-box exercise. And the earlier it happens in the process, the more impact it can have.

Maintenance signal safety. Bin Stores with windows, visibility and accessibility might seen small – but they change how women feel in a space.

The Rule of Ten and Why Bins Matter

Susannah is passionate about the power of detail. She recalls work on projects where even simple changes to bin store design had far-reaching impact – better lighting, easier access and proper visibility made people feel safer and reduced misuse.

She also champions the Rule of Ten: the idea that a place becomes inviting when it has ten interesting things at multiple scales – from seating areas and water features to art, trees, fragrance or natural textures. This builds richness and increases dwell time.

Diverse Spaces Invite Diverse Users

One of Susannah’s most powerful messages is around teen provision. Most parks, she argues, offer a narrow “menu” – skate parks, MUGAs and football pitches that tend to serve only one demographic: teenage boys.

Girls, and many others, are left out. Her solution is beautifully simple:

 

  • Offer a wider variety of activities.
  • Create pockets of space, not just big open areas.
  • Include elements of nature, fragrance and play – not just concrete and sport.

 

She references a site in New Zealand where three stones under a tree became a favourite teenage hangout – proving that even the smallest intervention, when thoughtfully placed, can spark connection.

If you only build one big play space, it will always be dominated by the loudest group. You need lots of small, diverse spaces to give everyone a place.

Data, Dusk Walks and the Power of Observation

Susannah advocates for a stronger culture of measuring what matters:

 

  • Collect gender-disaggregated data on footfall and usage.
  • Use dwell time and movement tracking to understand behaviour.
  • Conduct dusk walks with local women to identify blind spots and unsafe zones.
  • Track before and after effects of interventions to prove impact.

 

She’s especially excited about the potential of AI to map public space use by gender – revealing where women aren’t present and why. It’s a commercial opportunity too: safer spaces mean higher footfall, longer visits and greater retail success.

Safety is the baseline. We should be asking for more than that.

Designing for Women = Designing for Everyone

Whether it’s rethinking bin stores, increasing nature, or adding fragrance and tactility, Susannah’s message is clear: these aren’t niche interventions – they are universal improvements.

By putting the needs of women and girls at the heart of placemaking, developers create environments that feel more welcoming, vibrant and inclusive for everyone – from elderly residents and disabled users to neurodiverse visitors and families.

There’s nothing you’d add for women and girls that would make a space worse for any.

Co-Design Creates Ownership

In projects such as People’s Holloway Park and Camden’s Camley Street, Susannah has seen how inclusive design processes lead to better outcomes. When young women are involved from the start – mapping barriers, shaping briefs and challenging assumptions – the final design is more nuanced, useful and loved.

She notes the social value of this approach too: in one project, a teenage participant went on to become a community engagement officer. Another group worked on designs that will shape how thousands of people use a space – and were paid for their input.

If you co-design with young people, they feel it’s theirs. And they look after it.

Final Thoughts

Three Key Takeaways

 

1. Put gender on the agenda from day one

The biggest issue is not resistance – it is omission. Simply considering women’s needs in design decisions can unlock better outcomes across the board.

 

2. Design with people, not assumptions

Women and girls understand how spaces really work. Engaging them reveals practical, often simple improvements that make environments safer and more usable.

 

3. Small details have big impact

Lighting, sightlines, bin locations and activity all shape perception of safety. Minor interventions can significantly increase confidence, dwell time and use.

 

To receive a copy of the Making Sense of Place report click here

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