Making outdoor spaces welcoming for women and girls

From village parks to island play areas, involving young people in decisions about outdoor spaces can help create places that are welcoming, inclusive and useful to the whole community.

Parks, play areas and shared outdoor spaces can make an important contribution to life in rural and island communities. They provide places for people of different ages and backgrounds to be active, meet friends, relax and spend time outdoors. Ensuring these spaces reflect the needs of the whole community can help more people feel welcome and able to use them.

Make Space for Girls works towards this goal by highlighting the experiences of girls and young women, whose needs can sometimes be overlooked when parks and outdoor facilities are planned. The organisation campaigns for more inclusive public spaces and uses research and engagement to help ensure girls and young women have a meaningful voice in decisions about their design.

It places teenage girls at the centre of its work, recognising that young people themselves understand how they use local spaces and what could make them better. Make Space for Girls also emphasises that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It works with universities, health boards, councils, developers and others to improve outdoor spaces and support teenage girls’ physical and mental wellbeing and access to public space.

This approach has relevance for rural and island communities, where the number and variety of outdoor facilities available locally may differ considerably from larger towns and cities. Listening to young people can help communities understand how existing spaces are being used, identify who may be missing out and consider changes that could benefit a wider range of users.

One example highlighted by Make Space for Girls comes from Vienna, which became the first city to implement gender mainstreaming, considering gender as part of planning decisions. Its work included looking at how girls used parks and identifying changes that could make these spaces more welcoming.

At Einsiedler Park, research found that girls felt there was little in the park for them and could be reluctant to enter spaces already occupied by groups of older boys. Yet many regularly passed through the park travelling to and from school.

Planners responded with a number of changes. Hammocks and platforms were placed near paths to provide places where girls could stop, meet and spend time. Paths were widened and lighting was improved, while changes to the games area created more entrances and divided the space into smaller zones. This reduced the likelihood of one activity or group dominating the entire area.

Only part of the games area was given pitch markings, leaving other space available for different activities. Planners also recognised that some people visited while caring for younger siblings, so seating was provided in the younger children’s play area where they could spend time together while keeping an eye on them.

Although Vienna is very different from Scotland’s rural and island communities, some of the principles could be applied at a smaller scale. The case study highlights features including clear paths, appropriate lighting, seating and shelter, wide entrances and exits, smaller areas within larger spaces, toilets and a greater choice of activities and equipment.

The wider lesson is not about copying a particular design. It is about asking local young people what works for them before decisions are made. In a rural village or island community, that could mean considering how a park, play area or community green space can accommodate different ages, interests and ways of spending time outdoors.

By involving girls and other young people at an early stage, communities can gain a better understanding of local needs and explore practical changes that help shared outdoor spaces work well for as many people as possible.

Read the Vienna case study on the Make Space for Girls website here.