People and places – are they truly inclusive?

“In general, cities work better for heterosexual, able-bodied, cisgender men than they do for women, girls, sexual and gender minorities, and people with disabilities” (World Bank Group, 2020). Have things progressed in recent years or is there still more to do to create a truly inclusive built environment?

Our industry has certainly made progress on gender diversity, but women remain underrepresented across sectors such as real estate, planning, surveying and construction. Research by Real Estate Balance shows that there is reasonably good gender balance in the industry at junior levels, but numbers fall between middle management and senior levels^[1]. A similar pattern is revealed in relation to planners, with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) estimating that 40 % of planners in 2023 were women. However, that figure has remained unchanged for four years and almost two thirds of the elder half of the RTPI membership is male, with those individuals being more likely to hold senior roles. 

The fact remains that, historically, the built environment has largely been planned, designed and built by men. We are used to talking about diversity and inclusion initiatives in relation to people but what about buildings and spaces? At first, it may seem rather odd to suggest that the built environment itself is sexist and ableist - yet the built environment affects all aspects of our lives and different genders use it in different ways, influenced by factors such as income, work and caring responsibilities. 

The concept of gender mainstreaming, which has been rising in usage, involves the consideration of gender at all stages of policy development and implementation. There are some recent examples of this in the UK, such as the motion passed by Glasgow City Council in October 2022 to put women at the heart of urban planning with the aim of creating public spaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible to all. Gender mainstreaming policies have been also integrated successfully into planning systems in other countries, for example cities like Vienna and Barcelona. However, it is evident that there is still more work to do in this area. In an open letter dated 6 November 2023 relating to the previous National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation, eighteen leading organisations proposed that the NPPF should address the wider gender bias impacting design and placemaking policies in the system at large, arguing that focusing solely on safety is not enough. However, this point was not expressly taken up in the new consultation on the NPPF in 2024.   

To create a truly inclusive built environment, we must also ensure that it is accessible to all. Broadly speaking, accessibility of the built environment is governed by three main areas of law - national planning policy and guidance, building regulations and the Equality Act 2010. The NPPF glossary provides a wide definition of ‘people with disabilities’ for planning purposes which includes those with ambulatory difficulties, learning difficulties, autism and mental health needs. Although there is already specific planning policy guidance on this issue, it is clear that more needs to be done to bring these policies to life. Earlier this year, a Select Committee report^[2] found that despite the cross-government effort to “ensure disability inclusion is a priority” there was little evidence that the government was treating disabled people’s needs as a priority in housing policy. We also need to consider transport as well as buildings – for example, two thirds of London Underground stations do not currently provide step free access which presents a barrier not only to those with disabilities but to travelling with a pram or pushchair.

Approximately half of the population is female and nearly one in five working adults have a disability. Ensuring that the built environment works for everyone is clearly the right thing to do but there is also a financial incentive too. Businesses and investors lose out when customers cannot access premises and when individuals do not take up offers of employment due to lack of inclusion or poor accessibility. ‘Purple Pound’ estimates that UK businesses lose approximately £2 billion a month by ignoring the needs of disabled people^[3]. Our industry is planning, designing and delivering the future of the built environment right now for the generations to come – we have both great responsibility and opportunity in our hands to make positive changes. 

Published by Estates Gazette.