Earlier in July,  Making Space for Women returned – a networking group for women in the built environment co-founded by WeAreWaterloo BID and Build Studios. Our 5th event, Grounds for Play, explored all things play, sparking conversation around how we can make cities more play-friendly, safe and inclusive for children, young girls, women and caregivers.

Our speakers Lou Abotts (Lambeth Council) and Marina Milosev (Beyond the Red Line) discussed the crucial need for inclusive public spaces and design in our cities. Lou shared insights from the Child Friendly Lambeth initiative, focusing on wayfinding and engaging communities through layered, place-based approaches. She highlighted the value of using diverse formats and testing ideas with a broad mix of participants and spoke about the More Ball Games initiative as a strong statement that the Council was taking child-centric design seriously. Marina emphasised the need for gender-informed planning, calling for meaningful inclusion of women and girls in shaping and designing public spaces. She stressed that gender equity isn’t just socially important, it is fundamental to building cities that are truly inclusive and future-proof for next generations.

We welcomed back familiar faces from previous Making Space for Women events and greeted new ones – it was great chatting with so many likeminded women, men and gender-diverse individuals all whom we look forward to seeing again at our 6th event!

We’d like to thank our hosts at Broadway Malyan for their hospitality and the wonderful introduction to the evening by Dr Ana McMillin.