Practical guidelines which will help to make parks and green spaces safer for women and girls across the UK are being launched at a conference organised by the University of Leeds.
It follows a recent study of a cross-section of more than a hundred women and girls from West Yorkshire which found that most believed their local parks to be unsafe.
The research – funded by the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and carried out by researchers at the University – concluded that feeling vulnerable in parks is a barrier that needs to be urgently addressed to ensure that women and girls feel able to use, enjoy and benefit from them.
Informed by the research findings, the guidance aims to address that barrier with a range of practical measures, including creating openness and visibility, escape routes, better lighting and the positive presence of park staff and members of the community.
The document is a partnership between Mayor Brabin, the University of Leeds, Make Space for Girls and Keep Britain Tidy, and is aimed at park managers, local authorities, police and community groups.
Dr Anna Barker, an Associate Professor in Criminal Justice & Criminology in the University of Leeds’ School of Law led the original research and organised the conference. She said: “In Britain, women are three times more likely than men to feel unsafe in a park during the day.
“This is worse after dark, when as many as four out of five women in Britain say that they would feel unsafe walking alone in a park, compared to two out of five men.
“All these factors mean that women and girls are less likely to use parks than men and boys, a situation which has a significant impact on their lives. Our guidelines, covering ten principles for design and management, can enable decision-makers to enact change.”
Imogen Clark, Trustee and Co-Founder of Make Space for Girls said: “Safety is a big obstacle to teenage girls using parks. We’re really pleased that this guidance considers safety in the round – making spaces which will be more welcoming for teenage girls.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chef Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “It’s critical that we understand what makes women and girls feel safe or unsafe across our green spaces and what needs to change to make them feel able to use their local park.”
“Our own research already shows that 70% of people in urban areas do not have access to good quality green space, rising to 75.8% in the most deprived areas. When coupled with women’s concerns about using those few green spaces they have access to, it means there is a real inequality. We must tackle it collectively, and as a priority.”
“We are proud to be a part of this important and much needed project.”
The organisations behind the new guidelines hope decision-makers will now review all of their parks in partnership with the police and engage with women and girls specifically on safety, ensuring that those who do not currently use the parks are included.
They are also calling for the new guidance and the results of their discussions with women and girls to be incorporated into management plans for parks and green spaces and reviewed regularly.
