Designed for Who?

Who is our city really for?
Gender and public space in York

Marking International Womens Day 2026

On Sunday 8 March, International Women’s Day, I hosted an evening conversation on Gender and Public Space in York at Rise @ Bluebird Bakery. The event formed part of York International Women’s Week 2026.

Public spaces shape our everyday lives. They influence where we feel comfortable spending time, how safe we feel moving around the city, and whether public places feel welcoming or not.

This event brought together a panel of speakers with backgrounds in architecture, transport, lighting design and community work, alongside lived experience of using York’s public spaces. Through discussion, audience questions and interactive activities around the room, we explored how gender affects the way people experience the city. The aim was not to hold a formal consultation, but to create space for people to reflect, share experiences and think about how York could become a city where women and girls feel more welcome, safe and able to belong.

Donations from ticket sales go toward the Make Space York project, focused on creating welcoming parks for teenage girls and around £200 was raised by the evening through tickets, zines and bag sales – so thank you.

Interactive activities and conversations

Alongside the panel discussion, attendees were invited to take part in a number of informal activities before and after the panel.

One activity asked people to contribute to a large map of York, reflecting on the question:
“How does York feel? Participants were invited to mark places where they feel comfortable, safe and welcome, as well as places where they feel less comfortable. These conversations often moved beyond specific locations and into discussions about why certain spaces feel the way they do.

Another activity invited people to add to a sentence wall, responding to prompts including:
-What makes you feel safe and welcome in York?
-What makes you feel less comfortable?
-One change that would help make York more welcoming for women.
These reflections sparked thoughtful conversations throughout the evening and provided an opportunity for people to share experiences in a way that felt informal and accessible.

Attendees also had the opportunity to speak with Alanis Burgess, architectural designer and research assistant, who is currently investigating the maternal infrastructure gap in public space. Her work explores barriers such as breastfeeding in public, navigating the city with pushchairs and prams, and the ways urban design can better support parents and caregivers.

The panel

The panel brought together a range of perspectives on how public spaces are designed, experienced and used.

Kate Ravilious

Kate Ravilious is Councillor for Fulford and Heslington ward in York and Executive Member for Transport at City of York Council. She is currently working on the city’s Movement and Place Plan, which seeks to better recognise the role transport plays in shaping places, not just moving people. Kate is particularly interested in how walking, cycling and public transport can support independence, safety and access to opportunity, and how a wider diversity of people can travel around the city in ways that feel safe, convenient and sustainable.

Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Harrison is a founding partner at Mass Architecture and has over 25 years of experience working across commercial, community and residential projects. Her career began with co organising an international architecture festival in Leeds in the 1990s, followed by practice and project leadership roles in London, including work for Shelter and the Barbican Arts Centre. Charlotte has also taught and lectured in design at universities in London, Leeds and Sheffield.

Loren Arteaga-Reed

Loren Arteaga-Reed is a research communications professional working in higher education, with a focus on making complex research accessible beyond academic spaces. Alongside her professional role, she is actively involved in community work in York, including volunteering with York International Women’s Week and Refugee Action York. Drawing on her academic background in Women’s and Gender Studies, as well as her lived experience of gender and migration, Loren spoke about inclusivity, belonging and how public spaces are experienced differently by different groups.

Chantelle Stewart

Chantelle Stewart is a lighting designer with over 20 years of experience. She began her career in lighting at Leeds City Council before working with BDP across their London, Manchester and Dublin offices. Chantelle co founded Studio Dekka in 2009 and has since led the design and delivery of lighting schemes across a wide range of projects including museums, high streets, housing estates and public parks. Recent work includes a beach park in West Hove, eight new riverside parks along the Thames in central London and a new park and open space in Somers Town, Camden. Her perspective highlighted how lighting plays a significant role in how safe and comfortable people feel in public spaces, particularly after dark.

A shared conversation

The evening was shaped just as much by the audience as by the panel. The questions and reflections that followed sparked a wide ranging discussion about design, safety, visibility, transport, lighting and everyday experiences of moving around the city. Many people stayed afterwards to continue conversations around the activities and share their thoughts and experiences.

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and contributed to the discussion. Thank you also to the volunteers who helped make the evening possible, including a mix of architects and York International Women’s Week volunteers who supported the event behind the scenes. It was wonderful to see so many people interested in thinking about how our city works and how it might become more welcoming for everyone who uses it.

Thank you to all who bought a bag and a zine – missed out? You can still purchase using the links below and add P&P!