How often do we talk about making spaces safe without truly asking what welcoming could look like? In this People & Projects episode of the Streets and People podcast, Marina Milosev challenges the status quo, sharing her insights into creating spaces where women and girls can feel seen, involved and empowered. As a landscape architect and urban planner in London, Marina’s work on the London Legacy Development Corporation’s handbook plunges into an often-overlooked reality – urban spaces need to be designed with everyone in mind. Marina’s journey takes her from Serbia to London, where she leads work on urban regeneration and sees the crucial need for gender-informed spaces that resonate with lived experiences.
Marina explains why a genuine, inclusive design approach doesn’t just tick off safety boxes. It reaches deeper. She unpacks how urban design can reinforce or dismantle social injustice, showing how involving women and girls from diverse backgrounds transforms planning and outcomes alike. From engaging young people to questioning established norms, Marina reveals what it takes to create a cityscape that’s not only functional but inspiring for all. Imagine spaces crafted with gender equality at their core, with every decision thoughtfully inclusive and each street or park space designed for a more connected, more just community.
You’ll hear Marina discuss how genuine change demands an intersectional approach, including community-driven insights and pushing for representation where it counts. This episode will challenge the ways we think about cities and show you what’s possible when urban planning becomes a tool for empowerment.
Listen to this episode and explore how we can all reimagine spaces to support women and girls.
The guide that Marina Milosev delivered is Creating Places that Work for Women and Girls – Handbook for Local Authorities, Developers and Designers https://live-qeop.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/attachments/Handbook%20Creating%20Places%20that%20Work%20for%20Women%20and%20Girls%20FINAL.pdf
Marina’s website: https://beyondtheredline.co.uk/gender-equality-in-design
Marina referred to the inclusion organisation We Made That https://www.wemadethat.co.uk
Wendy mentioned the UK Office of Science Futures thinking and foresight – a brief guide https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/futures-thinking-and-foresight-a-brief-guide
