Co-designing parks with teenage girls and young women: gendered experiences of space and strategies for inclusivity

Research on park use through a gendered lens remains limited, despite evidence that park design and facilities disproportionately cater to boys and young men, often overlooking the needs of teenage girls and young women (TGYW), including those with female experiences. This paper addresses this gap by examining how TGYW engage with parks in Cardiff (Wales, UK) and how these spaces can be reimagined to support more inclusive use. Using a co-design approach, the study involves TGYW in mapping park use and articulating their needs and aspirations. Through interactive workshops, participants assessed conditions, identified barriers, and co-created redesign proposals. The findings show that park use is shaped by the interaction of physical design, social dynamics, and normative patterns of use, often resulting in “exclusion by design.” While concerns around safety, social inclusion, and lack of age-appropriate amenities remain significant, participants articulated a broader vision of parks as spaces for sociability, creativity, and self-expression. The paper conceptualises safety perception as a relational and socio-spatial phenomenon, co-produced through design features, social norms, and everyday practices, and highlights co-design as a “work site” for negotiating gendered experiences and spatial claims. It concludes with recommendations for context-sensitive and participatory approaches to inclusive urban park design.