Dr Ellie Cosgrave, Director of CIC and Research delivered a pivotal presentation at the Cities Change Annual Summit for Learning and Innovation for Gender Equity in Barcelona.

Hosted by the City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE), representatives from their cities network, including Barcelona, Bogatá, Buenos Aires, Freetown, Los Angeles, London, Louisville, Melbourne, Mexico City, Nairobi, Quezon City, Stockholm and Tokyo, gathered to engage in pioneering sessions on innovations in feminist city policy and practice of care.

During the summit, Ellie shared Publica’s best practice from London and Manchester, focusing on the CIC's Campaign for Inclusive Cities. She led an interactive walk to PLURAL, Centre for Masculinities, where participants engaged in a street-tagging exercise, photographing elements of the public space that made them feel safe or unsafe. The walk prompted participants to consider safety in public space as more than just the freedom from violence, harassment and intimidation, and explore how the spatial dynamics of a street can affect feelings of safety.

Ellie also delivered a session on Gender-Based Violence, focused on safety and inclusion, alongside UCL Masters students Anna du Plessis and Beverley Genockey. Participants on the street-tagging walk shared their insights and learnings, highlighting the need for inclusive public spaces and the involvement of diverse groups in city design processes.

Publica was honoured to contribute to such an important and innovative event, hosted by the world’s first international city network dedicated exclusively to the pursuit of gender equity. Publica CIC is dedicated to radical, inclusive and collaborative design processes to make cities places where all people can participate freely and fully in urban life.