URBAN Scoping Study-London’s participation in UN Women’s Safer Cities and Safe Public Spaces Programme 1 LAB Ellie Cosgrave, Tiffany Lam, Zoe Henderson UCL Urban Laboratory in collaboration with UCL STEaPP’s Urban Innovation and Policy Laboratory Published March 2020, revised May 2020 UCL Urban Laboratory Gordon House, 29 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PP www.ucl.ac.uk/urban-lab @UCLurbanlab
[email protected] UCL STEaPP Urban Innovation and Policy Laboratory Shropshire House 11—20 Capper Street, London WC1E 6JA www.urbaninnovationandpolicy.net @UCLUrbanPolicy Scoping Study-London’s participation in UN Women’s Safer Cities and Safe Public Spaces Programme We know that people flock to cities like London for opportunity; for work, education, culture, nightlife, and social connectedness. We know that these can be a liberation and freedom to those people who are able to access it. However, we also know that public spaces are used and experienced differently by men and women. Simply presenting as female in public space increases vulnerability to violence and this is exacerbated at certain times of night in certain locations of the city. This is especially relevant in London, where 40 per cent of sexual assaults take place in public spaces, particularly on the transport network.1 A survey of 8,000 Londoners also found that 74 per cent of female respondents feel worried about their safety some, or even all of the time, and 68 per cent worry about harassment on public transport.2 A Thomson Reuters Foundation report, which studied women on