In the world of medicine, until relatively recently the World Bank reports that “medication doses [were] typically adjusted for patient size with women considered ‘small men’” – Martin writes that “despite women, girls, and sexual and gender diverse people making up over 50% of the world’s population, it seems Western planning, like medicine, has had a similarly blinkered view of men as the locus for the universal model.”
“While gender inequality impacts people of all ages and backgrounds looking at the person specifically, not typically, is paramount because people experience public spaces differently based on their gender, sex and sexuality and in an intersectional way through overlapping identities of age, race, culture, gender, location and religion which in turn can increase inequity, vulnerability and discrimination. Therefore, averaging in the context of how we design the city is unhelpful. “
By designing cities based on a mean, diversity is flattened. It is imperative that cities are designed in a way that doesn’t over-simplify diversity.
Martin highlights consideration of distance between centres of activity as one central pillar of gender sensitive urban design. In practice this can look like increasing accessibility to local centres, decreasing distance between public hubs, and building spaces that encourage interaction.
Read more ideas and techniques on how to integrate gender sensitive thinking into planning and place design in the full article, published on Cities People Love.
Image by Molly Coulter, graduate landscape architect at OCULUS and AILA Fresh Co-Chair.
The mist garden, and urban heat:
In In A Warming World, Consider the Mist Garden, Alexandra Lange highlights the resurgence of mist gardens as a “more sustainable and accessible option for keeping hotter cities cool.”
Fog and mist installations are proving to be effective and versatile, as they are a low-maintenance way to cool off hot spaces, making them accessible in the summer heat, she writes. Fog doesn’t require the upkeep of a water body, and can embody a space and then be taken away without creating an area that is lacking without it, a seasonal problem for pools that are empty in winter.
“Fog is an atmospheric effect that has shown itself to be environmentally responsible, ephemerally beautiful and large-scale spectacular in artists’ hands many times before,” Lange writes.
In New York City, a ‘mist garden’ designed by landscape architects Quennell Rothschild & Partners has been installed to complement the giant ‘Unisphere’ sculpture at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, with great success.
“The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation was looking for a water feature designed for cooling off, rather than decoration, that would also conform to the city’s new usage restrictions … A water feature that would delight, but also be visually strong enough to stand up to the 140-foot-tall Unisphere.”
The design of the feature references the plaza’s Art Deco history, and creates an accessible, ephemeral reprieve from the summer heat, in the middle of the neighbourhood’s largest park.
Fog, Lange says, could be an effective and sustainable mechanism to increase the liveability of city spaces in the face of climate change.
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
