COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EXCELLENCE Making Cities safer for women and girls with light Arup with Monash University XYX Lab
Arup and Monash University’s XYX Lab have been recognised as this year’s Consult Australia 2020 Community Engagement Excellence Gold Award Winners for their ground-breaking collaborative work to help make cities safer. The award recognised the exploration of the views of women and girls and the focus on addressing their concerns regarding safety after-dark in urban environments. Arup’s Melbourne Lighting team worked with Monash University’s XYX Lab and global charity Plan International to research and influence lighting design so cities can be inclusive and safe. “We learnt the true value of engaging through traditional (face-to-face) and digital (crowd sourcing) methods to uncover qualitative and quantitative data that can help create a truly inclusive design strategy” said Arup Lighting Designer Hoa Yang. “We discovered that not enough attention is being paid to how light can shape and promote activities, events, pedestrian movement and perceptions of safety at night. “Starting with how people experience spaces has allowed us to reinforce our design skills with the needs of the community and come up with solutions that promote social resilience.
30 Consulting Matters
Arup’s Melbourne Lighting team worked with Monash University’s XYX Lab and global charity Plan International to research and influence lighting design so cities can be inclusive and safe.
