Watch Safe Places launch video
SYDNEY (September 1, 2022) — AECOM, the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, is funding a Safe Places initiative team to develop a design approach that creates safer infrastructure and urban precincts for all, acknowledging the heightened safety concerns when using public spaces after dark for women and gender–diverse people.
Safe Places uses interactive mapping to collect crowd-sourced data identifying where people are and whether they feel safe or unsafe. AECOM is engaging its national 4500-strong team, and the broader community, to pin the location of safe and unsafe places, and input supporting information through PlanEngageTM, AECOM's digital community engagement platform. More than 500 pins have been added so far, feedback pins can be added to the map here.
Women and gender-diverse people experience significant safety barriers when accessing public spaces. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates one in four women did not walk in their local area alone after dark in the last 12 months because they felt unsafe, compared to one in 24 men.
AECOM's urban design and transport planning specialists will analyse crowd-sourced data, including lighting, line of sight, foot traffic, maintenance, and passive surveillance information. Findings will be used to inform recommendations and develop best practices to improve how spaces are designed or retrofitted to improve safety
Janice Lovelock, a senior engineer at AECOM and wheelchair user, has been integral to the Safe Places initiative: "Creating infrastructure that enables marginalised groups to participate and fully contribute benefits everyone and it's important designers challenge generic and outdated requirements when creating public spaces. I am proud to work for a company that is committed to inclusive infrastructure."
Nicole Badstuber, Associate Director, Transport Advisory at AECOM, said: "What started as a passion project has, with AECOM's support and commitment to inclusive design, grown into an initiative that has the potential to create safer, more welcoming spaces for all. The initiative will plug a critical data gap, and inform good practice design of public and transport spaces for AECOM in future."
AECOM is committed to delivering its transformative environmental, social, and governance objectives through its Sustainable Legacies strategy, ensuring the work we do in partnership with our clients leaves a positive impact for years to come.
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About AECOM
AECOM is the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical expertise and innovation, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $13.3 billion in fiscal year 2021. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and
