Public Sector Build Journal, May 2024

Deborah Saunt explores the role of co-design in addressing the gender injustices and imbalances that exist in the built environment and advocates a combatant in the form of co-design: a ‘truly participatory process’ that is ongoing and adaptable to its inhabitants’ needs.

Dedicated to addressing gendered injustice in the urban realm, Deborah writes about DSDHA’s collaboration with the campaign group Make Space For Girls who work to ensure public spaces do not uniformly cater to the ‘default male’.

Deborah advocates for design that priorities the needs of those in the margins, as the majority will benefit. Having deployed this ethos in several DSDHA frameworks, Deborah calls on ‘enlightened local authorities’ to usher in a future that looks Towards Spatial Justice.