Help us make our public spaces more LGBTQ+ inclusive

Resources

Despite the emergence of queer enclaves in many cities across the world, there is an urgent need to rethink public spaces so we can create more inclusive, welcoming and hospitable environments for all members of our communities.

Queering Public Space, a collaboration between Arup and the University of Westminster, explores the relationship between queer communities and public spaces. We ask: what are the key characteristics that contribute to queering public space? How do we protect what remains of queer memory in our cities? And how do we move beyond the gayborhood towards creating public spaces for all?

Through our approach we explore how LGBTQ+ people can feel safer and included in urban public spaces, to establish a set of recommendations that help address this deficiency. You can explore the project in more detail here.

By addressing these recommendations and designing in diversity, public spaces will be more accessible to all marginalised and disempowered groups, creating inclusive and welcoming spaces for all.

We are currently on the second phase this project where we would like to:

· Address the knowledge gap on how to deal with the exclusion, danger and vulnerability experienced by the LGBTQ+ community in public space.

· Create a dataset with other LGBTQ+ people to evidence the findings from our previous research.

· Identify guidelines and interventions to support the delivery of safe, welcoming and equitable spaces for all.

· Make sure that we understand and incorporate an intersectionally diverse range of LGBTQ+ people, beyond our existing networks and living in various parts of the world.

So we need your help!

We have created an online experiential survey, which consists of two-parts:

- The first part asks about your perception of safe and inclusive spaces, as well as your preferences of public spaces. So that we can analyse inclusion through an intersectional lens, we will also collect anonymised demographic information as well.

- The second part are six 360° environments where you can listen and pan around a public space. By double clicking on a spot on the environment, you will be able to leave comments about the space.

What would we like from you?

We would like your help to complete the survey and spread the word. The survey can be accessed at https://qps.virtual-engage.com/

It will take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete and you can return to the 360° environments at any point.

Please note that all responses will be anonymised and that the survey complies with GDPR and data privacy regulations. You will have the opportunity to leave an email address if you would like to find out about the results of our research when it is published next year, but do not need to do so.

If you have any questions and would like to speak about the survey or the overall project, please email us at [email protected]

Thanks for your support.