Britt Geenen

I cannot clearly recall the first time I experienced unwanted behaviour from men. What I do remember, however, is that it did not end with a single incident. Over the years, dozens of experiences have become etched into my memory. Small moments that may seem harmless on their own, yet continue to build up over time. I walk down the street and get catcalled. Men shout comments at me. Cars slow down as they pass. Eyes follow me. Sometimes there is laughter, more often, there is shouting. And when I do not respond, I am met with insults and all kinds of slurs. Gradually, I begin to realise that this is exactly what my parents have been warning me about my entire life. The realisation that this is not what safety is supposed to feel like.

In theory, a city should be experienced as a neutral environment. However, I know, like many other women, that in reality it is different. As a woman, I have learned to stay alert in public spaces and to navigate them as safely as possible. I have learned which streets to avoid, where lighting is insufficient, and which places feel different at certain times of day. As a woman, I have learned. Not out of privilege, but out of necessity. 

With Safety in public space, I focus on improving the perception of safety in public spaces. The social safety of women is still too often treated as an individual issue, in which the attention is directed towards behavior and appearance. Questions about what a woman was wearing shift the focus away from the actual problem. Therefore, I approach this issue as a design challenge, placing the design of public space at the centre rather than the behaviour of its users. Public spaces should be designed in a way that makes constant alertness no longer necessary for women. 

From this approach a handbook was developed to support designers, architects, urban planners, governments and other people involved in creating socially safer public spaces. The handbook consists of several components that can be used both together and independently to support the design process of public spaces.

The handbook consists of a workshop that allows people to actively experience public space and gain insight on where safety-related issues arise. In addition, the handbook provides practical guidelines for design elements such as trees, lighting, and sightlines. It also contains a visual translation of these guidelines into a scale model, which spatially illustrates how they can be applied in practice. Together, these components serve as a practical guide for designers and others interested who seek to contribute to improving the social safety of women in public spaces.