Professor Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, co-wrote an article with Dr Ammar Azzouz from the University of Oxford for The Conversation about making public spaces more inclusive.
The article discusses how many public spaces are unconsciously gendered, with the architecture profession being largely male and white. Professor Pippa Catterall and Dr Ammar Azzouz wrote: “That results in a design approach that privileges the male perspective, from licensing regimes that favour heterosexual male drinking establishments to parks and sports facilities built for boys.”
Talking about their research, Professor Catterall and Dr Azzouz wrote: “In the context of rising patterns of hate crime, the idea of ‘queering’ public space might offer a solution. Through interviews with over 120 academics, designers, activists and other respondents, we have studied how considering the design and planning needs of LGBTQ+ people might make the public realm more inclusive.”
Read the full article on The Conversation’s website.
