What would happen if we gave teenage girls the keys to designing their dream city?  

In an industry where women make up approximately 30% of the workforce, we need to do more to inspire younger generations to take control of shaping their spaces, giving them the power to occupy parks and public places and providing the platforms for them to share their ideas.  

When we heard about the mission of Make Space York, we were keen to get involved. We so often talk to our clients about the power of listening to and engaging with teenage girls and this was a chance for us to something about it.  

On a sunny Saturday in Rowntree Park, York, we asked the simple question ‘what would you create in your dream city?’. 

The first thing that was added to our page was “places where you can go to do the things you love”, followed by the construction of a creativity centre, a library, a swimming pool and a park. It took some gentle encouragement to see a school built after about two hours of making, whilst a gleeful parent added a coffee shop next to the ice cream parlour, pizza restaurant and gym.  

There were also some elements that surprised us, breaking our pre-conceived ideas of what young girls might want. We quickly had a castle, a garden centre, zoo and four pet shops in our dream city. We also talked about connection; building in cycle routes, a tram and a green link from the park to the houses. 

The key takeaway from the day was that, left unobserved, girls will create a pretty idyllic place. Centred around green spaces, close to water, with spaces for being active, having fun and living all woven together in a walkable neighbourhood. We may not have any healthcare, any police presence or any way of accessing groceries but maybe we would be having too good a time to notice! 

Let us help you have similar conversations with young people close to your developments. Read more about our commitment to Building for Good, here.