Award of Merit:

Monash University XYX Lab for YourGround

XYX Lab is a team of experienced designers and design researchers exploring gender-sensitive design practices and theory. Our work operates at the intersection of gender, identity, urban space and advocacy. Through our research and practice, we bring together planners, policy makers, local government and stakeholders to make tangible the experiences of underrepresented communities in urban space and planning. 

XYX Lab is grounded in feminist and queer theory and activated through real-world projects. Equal parts qualitative and quantitative research, we regularly work to collect and analyse data and experiences in order to generate deeper understanding and support our design projects. Our approach is inclusive of all gender and sexual identities. Building equity into urban life requires long-term vision and a strategic – often radical – approach to the design process. We do not seek quick-fix design solutions, but rather seek to offer insights and create moments that contribute towards a larger movement for change. 

Crowdspot aims to co-create quality places in an inclusive, social and engaging process. They strive to reduce barriers to citizen engagement so more people can participate in the planning process. This helps to build trust, collect quality information and make better decisions that reflect the priorities and views of the community. CrowdSpot was founded by urban planners and tech professionals interested in using technology to improve public participation and make better places.

About the Project

‘YourGround: Mapping a safer Victoria for women and gender-diverse people’, is an interactive map and communication platform designed to enable more inclusive public spaces for everyone to enjoy leisure, sport and play. As the impact of gendered violence reverberates across our communities, Monash University’s XYX Lab, and digital consultancy, CrowdSpot, teamed up with 23 local Victorian councils to crowdsource perceptions of safety in public space. YourGround empowered individuals to critically assess their local streets, parks, trails and recreational spaces in order to expose the often hidden public safety experiences of women and gender diverse people. 

How safe women and gender diverse people feel in public space continues to impact on how they confidently engage with it. This is a problem shared by multiple communities across our state, and one that Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are committed to addressing. However, they require data that is site-specific to their locations in order to fully understand the challenges unique to their communities. In order to locate particular spaces and gather the data pertinent to what makes them ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’, XYX Lab and Crowdspot developed a simple, easily accessed, web-based mapping tool by which diverse community members could precisely document locations and how they felt within them. Once gathered together and analysed, this project generates significant data on which to create a richer understanding of public experiences and identify spatial design changes that facilitate safety for women and gender diverse people. 

YourGround has enabled individuals, in particular those who are frequently marginalised and not specifically addressed in public place making, to have a voice and help shape the safe, community facilities they need. By gathering the lived experience of women and gender diverse people into reports specific to individual municipalities, the LGAs responsible for civic development and safety can clearly address the needs of their community. ‘Safe’ pins provide the exemplar spaces; and by analysing their attributes they will understand what works towards making a space feel safe and inclusive. ‘Unsafe’ pins provide equivalently valuable data. They locate areas in need of immediate attention, but also the specifics of what makes them feel ‘unsafe’. The YourGround project reveals there is not a single way to design safe, inclusive spaces, but a multitude of ways that must be nuanced for particular communities. By engaging community users, a more site-specific understanding can be established relevant to their experience and their relationship to the location, its attributes and infrastructure. 

With the recent implementation of Victoria’s Gender Equality Act 2020, creating inclusive spaces is a priority statewide. YourGround is one of the first responsive, widespread engagements where women and gender-diverse people are invited to share their experiences.

Category: Interact

Designers and Project Team:
Dr Nicole Kalms
Anthony Aisenberg
Dr Gene Bawden
Dr Gill Matthewson
Anwyn Hocking
Isabella Webb
Dr Jess Berry
Dr Timothy Moore