Gender-bias in the built environment: how young women’s experiences in public space are understood and addressed in London

ABSTRACT Although young women have an equal right to public space, socio-cultural influences both manifested in and sustained by the built environment contribute to their exclusion. Using mixed qualitative methodologies, this research explores the spatial and non-spatial causes of this injustice, and examines solutions presented by Key Independent Organizations addressing the issue in London. The analysis problematizes how inequitable social conditions may constrain young women’s design preferences, potentially leading to solutions that perpetuate gendered behaviours with detrimental outcomes. This study provides a point of reference for future initiatives addressing the problem and adds to the growing discourse surrounding inequality in public space.