It’s International Women’s Day 2023! This global day highlights the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality as well as opening up the discussion on how we can forge a more inclusive world for the next generation.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity– a call-to-action to get the world talking about how people start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging requires equitable action.
It’s a great opportunity to flashback to Associate Director Catriona Swanson talking about creating places that accommodate all people:
“I was out on site recently, analysing streets in an area so that we can design safer routes to local schools. I saw a woman trying to push a pushchair up a kerb with a slight lip and she just couldn’t do it. It was at a busy junction, and she ended up having to reverse to get the pushchair up. And the once she’d done that, she had to get through a barrier just to get through a metre long path to get through to another road. Whoever put this kerb and barrier in was not thinking about who was going to be using it, and this woman was being inconvenienced everyday by that decision.
“This is just one of so many examples that show our towns and cities have been designed by people who drive everywhere and don’t need to worry about pushchairs and wheelchairs. I’ve done a lot of work to understand what various groups including disabled people need while using the streets – such as dropped kerbs and smooth surfaces – and they just wouldn’t be as obvious to non-disabled people. When streets make movement difficult, it forces people to jump into their cars because it’s easier to drive the short distance than navigate obstacles.
“That’s why our industry of transport planners, street engineers and urban designers needs to reflect the people it’s creating places for. Not just more women and mums, but more disabled people too, so that our streets are suitable, safe and enjoyable for everyone to move around.
“I’m proud to say that PJA carries out detailed site audits when we’re designing streets and places. We watch how people use the spaces and talk to local people. Perhaps some residents might want a barrier on a pavement to stop anti-social behaviour from cyclists or motorcyclists, but this needs to be understood in the context of the needs of those using wheelchairs, pushchairs or non-standard cycles. It’s about using our training and education to ensure we are designing inclusive and accessible places.”
Catriona Swanson, Associate Director
Catriona is an Associate Director in our Manchester office. She has over 12 years’ experience of delivering active travel, sustainable transport, regeneration and placemaking schemes in both the public and private sectors. Catriona’s experience includes network planning and concept design as well as overseeing the detailed design and delivery of schemes. She is particularly passionate about inclusive design and creating Healthy Streets.
BSc (Hons) MPlan
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