The Inclusive, Safe and Accessible Public Space Booklet is a brief and concise set of tips for designing safe and accessible public spaces through an inclusive process, with a focus on women and girls. The booklet builds on the lessons learnt from the design process of the “City Park” in Pristina, implemented by the UN-Habitat and UN Women joint project “Enhanced Right to City for All in Pristina and Skopje” in close cooperation with the Municipality of Pristina, Kosovo Police and Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture/University of Pristina.

The growing attention to public space is reflected in the 2016-2030 Sustainable Development Agenda notably within the Goal 11 ‘Build cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.’ One of the proposed targets set out (11.7) is “by 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, particularly for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”. The booklet addresses particularly the second indicator (11.7.2) ”proportion of women subjected to physical or sexual harassment by perpetrator and place of occurrence (last 12 months)”. Access to safe public spaces is a basic human right, however women and girls are often exposed to harassment and other forms of violence, which inhibit their right to public spaces.

The aim of the booklet is to mainstream gender sensitive design in the current practice of public space development. It aims to support various stakeholders, including municipal officials, professional community, civil society organizations and the community in the public space design process. The booklet proposes the Women’s Safety Audit as a participatory tool to tackle safety and accessibility in public spaces. This booklet addresses five main aspects, including three rather technical fields such as mobility and accessibility, activities and urban furniture; maintenance and an outline of the Safety Audit process, that can help further meeting the 11.7 target.