24th June, 10:00-11:00am: Parks that work for Teenage Girls: Practical Approaches to Inclusive Engagement and Design
In this session, Abigail Gaines, will explore how parks can become more welcoming, inclusive spaces, with a particular focus on teenage girls, a group often overlooked in the design and use of public space.
Using Rowntree Park in York as a core case study, the session will combine context, insight and practical examples, alongside wider examples of good practice from across the UK.
- Key topics covered:
- The wider context: where are the teenage girls, and why are they often missing from parks?
- Practical approaches to engaging teenage girls in meaningful ways
- Co-creation in action, including the development of a space with girls in Rowntree Park
- Small, realistic design changes that can significantly influence how spaces feel and are used
This will be a practical, real-world session aimed at those looking to better understand and respond to the needs of underrepresented groups in public space.
Abigail leads the Make Space York project and oversees the Friends of Rowntree Park. Since 2021, she has worked directly with teenage girls to better understand their experiences of public space, leading to tangible changes within Rowntree Park and influencing improvements in other parks across York. Her work takes a collaborative, bottom-up approach, working with councils, councillors, planners, developers and community organisations. This session draws on that experience to share practical, real-world ways that people can make meaningful change in their own spaces.
