Property industry calls on government to tackle gender bias against women in public spaces
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Property industry calls on government to tackle gender bias against women in public spaces

Published on 21 November 2023

Joining organisations from across the UK property industry, JTP is proud to be co-signatories and supporting Turley's open letter to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling for policy change in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to tackle gender bias.

As architects and designers, we should be designing places that are inclusive for everyone, however much of the UK’s built environment fails to meet the needs of women and girls. Turley’s letter emphasises the need for national planning policy to address this lack of consideration for women and girls when creating public spaces across the UK, including both cisgender and transgender women and girls.

Together we are calling on Michael Gove to implement change through the NPPF by:

  • Addressing wider gender bias impacting design and placemaking policies
  • Bridging the gender data gap
  • Integrating gender mainstreaming policy into the framework
  • Producing practical guidance to support local authorities, developers and planners.

Gender mainstreaming policies have been integrated successfully into planning systems across several cities including Vienna and Barcelona, and Glasgow City Council has voted unanimously in favour of putting women at the heart of urban planning.

We envision the NPPF to act as a catalyst for transformative change with potential for the UK to become a world leader in nationwide gender-inclusive planning. Proper consultation with women and girls throughout the planning process will help to pave a future where every individual, regardless of their gender, is afforded equal opportunities to thrive.

To view the letter, head to the link here: https://static.turley.co.uk/me...