Design Principles and Guidelines Toolkit
DESIGNING GENDER-SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
CONTENTS
This toolkit has been produced as part of a MA research project that aimed to understand the gender bias within the built environment and develop design principles that will help deliver gender-sensitive environments.
The toolkit contains design principles and guidelines, based on theory and best practice examples, on how to organise and design the built environment to be more equitable.
The principles should be used alongside any relevant planning and design standards.
Access and Mobility Safety in Public Spaces
Public and Private Space
Housing and Social Infrastructure
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ACCESS AND MOBILITY
DESIGN INTENT
In terms of gender sensitivity, it is especially important to create an attractive movement network for “reduced” traffic and a change in priorities toward slower road users. Children and those accompanying them, as well as the elderly and those with restricted mobility, gain in particular from a significantly improved mobility network and a more attractive street scape.
Therefore, It is important to consider the suitability for everyday use and experience of pedestrians at different times of day, week, and year. Designers should aim to make pedestrians the priority within the built environment by reducing car dominance where appropriate and create a streetscape that is legible, safe and accessible to everyone.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
The design of the streetscape should:
1. Take into account the different mobility patterns that range with gender, age and ability and consider contributing factors to mobility such as topography- gradients, weather and obstacles
2. Design a tightly-knit, walkable and barrier-free route network with good atmospheric quality
3. Provide structures that allow for lingering and communication on the streets
4. Ensure public facilities, such as toilets and open spaces are available and accessible within a short walking radius.
5. Have pedestrian routes that are easily identifiable by the user and are direct- the routes should have clear site lines avoiding any hidden areas that may breed feelings of unsafety within the public realm
6. Street design should take account of “desire lines” to avoid dead and antisocial spaces
7. Public transport stops should be easily accessible on foot, with stops at regular intervals at peak and off-peak times of the day.
1. 2. 3.
8. Have traffic-calmed streets, with safe and accessible shared spaces that provide inclusive places that cater to the different needs of users, including children and elderly people.
9. Design access routes with a minimum surface width of at least 2m with minimal obstructions to allow space for caregivers pushing prams, walking with toddlers, or wheelchair users.
10. Areas with large numbers of pedestrians should have pedestrian zones that enhance the quality of walking and chances of encounters with pedestrians
11. Traffic-calmed zones should especially be provided in front of kindergartens, primary schools and public institutions
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ACCESS AND MOBILITY
Traffic-calmed streets and shared surfaces to reduce car movement and make streets more safe and accessible
Limited on-street parking to create a safe environment on the streetscape
Appropriate level of overlooking from buildings adjacent to streets to enhance safety and passive surveillance
Street lighting to ensure vitality, especially at night.
Access routes with minimum width of 2m to prevent obstructions and facilitate gender-differentiated uses of streets
DESIGN GUIDELINES
Page 4GENDER-SENSITIVE
IMAGE REFERENCES
Collage 1: Access and Mobility references
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SAFETY IN PUBLIC SPACES
DESIGN INTENT
Safety within the public realm is a key objective of gender-sensitive planning. A perceived and objective sense of safety and security enhanc es the usage of public spaces and promotes mobility. Appropriate navigation aids, clear visual structure, effective lighting, direct accessibility, and vitality all play an important role in designing secure public spaces.
A gender-sensitive environment provides a space that is convenient and enjoyable to use for everyone, free from any barriers or risk of violence
DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
The public realm should:
1. Have pedestrian routes and public facilities such as playgrounds, toilets, car parking, and places of rest that are well-lit with natural surveillance, natural sight-lines, no dead ends with appropriate overlooking ‘eyes on street’ from adjacent buildings
2. Non-private rooms within buildings should be oriented towards the street with effective architectural solutions to provide visibility 24-hours a day
1. 2.
3. Have artificial lighting systems, where natural light is not available or insufficient, that is designed to maintain a level of illumination that is comfortable so as to provide a safe environment 24 hours a day.
4. Important routes within the public realm as well as pedestrian paths should be well-lit and accessible
5. Pay particular attention to main circulation routes within the public realm, including entrance/ exit points, and places where people are likely to meet and interact, and provide both natural and artificial lighting with appropriate levels of overlooking from adjacent buildings.
6. Provide visual axes between indoor and outdoor spaces to enhance the perceived sense of safety
3. 4.
7. Have high level quality spaces with a variety of public services and facilities that attract a range of social activity within close proximi ty to residential areas, preventing long journeys for caregivers with multiple tasks.
8. Provide vibrant ground-floor uses to enhance the level of social control within the public realm
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SAFETY IN PUBLIC SPACES
Artificial lighting to maintain comfort in the public realm at all times of the day
Car-free/ pedestrian streets to provide a safe space for children to play and others to interact
Public facilities, such as toilets and baby changing rooms in open spaces with overlooking from adjacent buildings
Active ground-floor edges to maximise footfall and enhance passive surveillance 24-hours a day
Variety of activities within public spaces allowing multifunctional uses within close proximity
Well-lit and overlooked open spaces in close proximity to public facilities and residential areas
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IMAGE REFERENCES
Collage 2: Safety within the public realm references
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PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACE
DESIGN INTENT
The public realm has a significant effect on the quality of life and the environment of a city. Public space serves both integrative and communicative functions as it promotes movement, interaction, and pleasant resting spaces, which acts as a convenient stage for conflicting uses, needs and demands. A gen der-sensitive public realm supports equitable decisions on how much space to allot to each function. Designers should give more flexibility to the requirements of individuals with limited mobility, children and young people, and adults with caregiving and household duties.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
Public spaces should:
1. Provide a range of flexible, formal and informal spaces that attracts a range of target users such as young children to play, young people, to interact with friends, and older people to engage with activities and each other.
1.
2. Age-specific requirements, such as exercise and movement options for the elderly, or safe playgrounds for toddlers, should be taken into account.
3. Where play areas are provided, they should be overlooked by surrounding developments and have comfortable and attractive observation points where carers can observe their children.
2.
4. Be user-friendly and be equally distributed within the built environment.
5. A continuous open space network should be created, through a range of squares, pedestrian zones, green streets and green spaces.
6. The public spaces should be easily accessible on foot or cycle and have an efficient public transport system into and out of the area.
7. Be accessible to everyday requirements such as wheelchair users, prams, pushchairs and any other mobility equipment.
3.
8. Have sufficient private and communal spaces that are clearly differentiated from the public to suit every tasks and needs of the community
9. Provide a variety of spaces, such as noisy zones, quiet zones, interaction zones and play zones to cater to different needs.
10. Design communal-private spaces within ancillary and secondary rooms within buildings to enhance opportunities for interaction.
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PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACE
Accessible on foot or cycle
Range of formal and informal spaces within the public realm that caters to different needs and uses
Public spaces easily accessible using public transport- with regular servic es during peak and off-peak times
Consideration of potential obstacles such as harsh climatic conditions
Quiet zones, noisy zones, play zones and resting zones to cater to differ ent ages and groups
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IMAGE REFERENCES
Collage 3: Design of public realm references
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HOUSING AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
DESIGN INTENT
Women, caregivers in general, elderly persons, and people with disabilities place a significantly higher value on the quality of housing developments, social infrastructure, and informal contacts in their communities.
A gender-sensitive environment provides a space where these individuals can deal with their everyday life activities. Designers should provide a good social mix to cater to a wide range of ages, classes and social lifestyles.
DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
Housing developments should:
1. Communal facilities should be designed to support a good balance of informal social activity and play opportunities for gender-differen tiated age groups and accommodate the everyday requirements of different users.
2. Where appropriate, buildings should have flexible ground floor spaces that can integrate a wide range of potential uses such as shops, restaurants and community facilities, and they should be accessible from public streets to serve the wider community
1. 2. 3.
3. Design for all phases of life through versatile floor plans and layouts that allow for intergenerational living, various tenancy or ownership structures and financing requirements
4. The versatility of flats should be supported by equal room sizes with variable partitions and different entrances
4.
5. There should be an appropriate provision of necessary public facilities such as public toilets- with baby changing facilities and GP practices within close proximity to residential neighbourhoods and public spaces.
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IMAGE REFERENCES
Collage 2: Design of housing references
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Diana Muthiani
Oxford Brookes University 2022
