Achieving true equity in our cities begins with centring the voices of women, girls and gender diverse people and creating space for joyful and imaginative explorations of the city. Rather than treating safety as merely the absence of violence, our gender-led design approach, frames safety as the presence of agency, belonging and the affirmation of women’s power to shape urban life.

Publica’s Founding Director Lucy Musgrave presented our international Campaign for Inclusive Cities at the inaugural London VAWG International Summit at City Hall attended by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Deputy Major Kaya Comer Schwartz and the 17 cities in CHANGE’s network. 

Led by Leslie Crosdale, co-founder of City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE) and Jain Lemom of MOPAC, the Summit brought together global leaders, experts, advocates from CHANGE cities and representatives from UK cities to initiate collective action towards advancing gender equity in urban spaces.

In a pivotal panel discussion, Lucy highlighted Publica’s work for the Women’s Secretariats and Mayor’s Offices in Louisville, Bogota and Stockholm, addressing gender-based violence in urban design, urban infrastructure and public transport with city leaders, local government officials, community groups and transportation representatives.

She also shared Publica’s expertise in inclusive design, planning and policy, particularly insights from Safety in Public Space: Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People, for the Mayor of London’s Good Growth by Design programme.

Chaired by Leslie Crosdale, the inspiring group of global leaders included:

• Laura Tami, Secretary for Women’s Affairs, Mayor’s office of Bogotá, Colombia
• Gretchen Hunt, Director at Louisville Metro Government, Louisville USA
• Maria Kearsley, Security and crime prevention strategist, City of Stockholm, Sweden
• Kathryn Timmins, Design Unit at the Greater London Authority