Displaying items by tag: Public Space

How Urban Design is Failing Women’s Safety

We’ve all felt it. That momentary chill walking through a deserted public space at night, even when the lights are on. It’s that feeling of being "small and invisible", as urban planner Nourhan Bassam aptly describes it in a recent article for Dutch newspaper Nrc. It perfectly captures a paradox at the heart of community safety.

In the wake of tragedies, like the murder of 17-year-old Lisa in Amsterdam on a cycle path women had already flagged as unsafe, the typical response is a call for "formal security measures". This usually means more CCTV or a greater police presence.

But as the report highlights, these measures don't always make women feel safer. Why? Because CCTV only helps after the fact. At the moment of the crime, it’s useless.

The real issue, experts argue, is that our cities have been historically designed by and for their "original planner: the man". This has created environments that fail to account for the lived experience and safety perceptions of women.

The Failure of Design: Formal vs. Social Safety

The core problem is a simple lack of 'eyes on the street' — a term famously coined by the visionary writer and activist Jane Jacobs in the 1960s. It refers to the natural, social surveillance from surrounding buildings and passers-by that makes a public space feel alive and safe.

The article identifies several common design failures that breed insecurity:

• Hostile Architecture: Anonymous office buildings, locked doorways, and few ground-floor windows create dead zones where no one is looking out.
• Poor Sightlines: Bus stops with advertising panels that block the view, or high fences around parks, make it impossible to see who is nearby.
• Bad Lighting: This isn't just about too little light; lighting that is too intense can be just as bad, creating deep, dark shadows where someone could hide.
• Obscured Areas: Overgrown bushes or tunnels without emergency exits create points of high anxiety.
• Single-Use Spaces: A renovated square in Utrecht, fitted with a skate park and CrossFit equipment, was cited as a prime example. As the urbanist notes, "it really seems as if half the population is simply forgotten".
• (Anachronistic or) Outdated Materials: Stone and cobblestone pavements, while aesthetically pleasing, create accessibility issues for women in heeled shoes. The irregular surface forces the heel to wedge between gaps, risking twisted ankles or broken heels. Unlike smooth surfaces, stone floors require constant attention while walking, making the experience tiring and uncomfortable. This architectural choice, though traditional, inadvertently excludes those who wear formal footwear, particularly women in professional or elegant settings.

How to Design for "Eyes on the Street"

Frustratingly, this knowledge isn't new. As one academic notes, urban planners were "having the same conversations forty years ago". It begs the question: why has so little changed?

The solutions proposed are not complex or expensive. They are simply centred on encouraging human presence:

• Placing more bars or kiosks that stay open late.
• Encouraging shops with windows that remain lit in the evening.
• Positioning tram stops near busy cafes, with open-plan shelters that don't block the view.
• Designing parks with well-lit paths and placing benches or sports facilities in raised, visible positions rather than hidden corners
• Choose smooth, even surfaces that accommodate all footwear types and mobility needs.
• Select vegetation that maintains clear sightlines: tall trees with high canopies, hedges kept below waist height, and open lawn areas that eliminate hiding spots while preserving green space.

Lessons from Europe

Whilst the Netherlands has been slow to act, other European cities are already showing how it's done.

• Vienna has had an office for gender-inclusive urban planning for 25 years.
• In Barcelona, women can request extra bus stops along the route after 10 PM to be dropped off closer to their homes.
• In Karlskoga, Sweden, authorities prioritise clearing snow from pavements (used more by women) before clearing roads.

These examples prove that a safer city for women is simply a safer city for everyone.

Experts insist this approach must become "a stable and mandatory part" of all urban development. It should be, they argue, "an essential requirement in tenders for newly built neighbourhoods".

This isn't just about changing infrastructure; it's about changing a mindset. We must move beyond reactive security and finally start designing public spaces that feel safe, by ensuring there are always eyes on the street.

Valeria Lorenzelli 

Source: The analysis and expert opinions in this article are drawn from Steden zijn gebouwd door de ‘oorspronkelijke planner: de man’. Dat moet anders. (Cities were built by the 'original planner: the man'. That has to change.)  by Julia Vié, originally published in Nrc (Netherlands), 10^th October 2025.