International Women’s Day 2024 – Inspire Inclusion and Invest in Women

05 Mar 24

This year Iceni is cycling from Richmond Station through Great Windsor Park into Windsor and back again, a distance of approximately 85km, on Friday 8th March to celebrate International Women’s Day. If you would like to join us, please contact events@iceniprojects.com for more information.

Friday, 8th March is International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is #InspireInclusion, with the United Nations theme being “invest in women: accelerate progress”. Both these themes encourage us to challenge the instances where women are excluded from wider conversations and decision-making processes, emphasising the importance of gender mainstreaming in public policy.

Given that cities and spaces have historically been designed and created by men, we have a way to go in promoting inclusion in our built environment. For instance, the simple act of navigating footpaths with a pram can pose challenges for parents, while parks often lack facilities catering to the needs of teenage girls, as highlighted by the efforts of Make Space For Girls.

I’ve recently heard of School Streets being delivered in Paris – streets being permanently closed off to cars around schools, connecting walking and cycling links around the city and providing space for play, gathering and interaction, with similar schemes being delivered in Barcelona. The key here is that not only is this inclusive to women but also children, men, an ageing population, cyclists, and walkers… essentially it benefits everyone.

Despite these positive examples, I was disappointed to catch a segment in the news last week identifying that cash-strapped Councils are having to cut services and facilities, with one Council in particular, making cuts to art, parks and leisure. It was clear from those interviewed that this is likely to disproportionately affect women and carers who rely on these services, facilities and spaces week in and week out.

Given the financial strain faced by authorities and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, those of us involved in planning and delivery must prioritise the management and stewardship of these spaces moving forward. It’s essential to ensure that the benefits of these spaces are not only preserved but also extended to benefit the entire community, not just women. Only through this commitment can we truly claim to be designing spaces that #InspireInclusion, #investinwomen and maintain this inclusivity throughout a developments lifespan.