The teen gap with Make Space for Girls

As children grow into adolescence, the spaces designed specifically for them begin to disappear. Playgrounds are left behind and public space becomes increasingly important, a place to meet friends, gain independence and develop a sense of belonging.

But who are these spaces really designed for? Who feels welcome in them, and who gets pushed to the edges?

Together with Make Space for Girls and A Place in Childhood, we explore what teenagers need from their city as they grow, with a particular focus on the experiences of teenage girls and the inequalities that can shape their access to public space.

Imogen Clark from Make Space for Girls will explore why teenage play matters, why parks and public spaces are so important as children gain independence, and what happens when we look at these spaces through a gendered lens. Drawing on research and the experiences of young people, she will examine what the evidence tells us about who uses public space, who feels welcome there, and why.

Anna Gaffney of A Place in Childhood will then bring the conversation into the Scottish context, drawing on engagement with teenage girls at Leith Links, Midlothian Parks and Halbeath. She will explore what girls themselves have said about the places they use, what they want to change, how places across Scotland are beginning to respond, and the social, environmental and structural barriers that still stand in the way.

Together, we’ll ask what meaningful engagement with teenagers can look like, how their experiences can translate into real change, and what designers, planners, policymakers and local authorities can do differently.

How can we grow to better cater for teenagers? How can our thinking, our approach to design and our city evolve as young people gain independence? And how can our parks, streets and public spaces give teenagers the freedom, space and sense of belonging they need?

The talk will be followed by a drinks reception, a chance to explore the exhibition, continue the conversation and bring Edinburgh Through a Child’s Lens to a close. After a week of listening, thinking, making and growing, we’ll come together to reflect on what Edinburgh’s children and young people have told us, and what we might take forward for the city they are growing up in.

Talk | Free Tickets

This event is part of a wider upcoming event/exhibition series that Simpson Studio is hosting in A&DS:SpACE at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

A&DS:SpACE is a collaborative venue created by Architecture and Design Scotland and Space for Architecture, Carbon & Environment. Through exhibitions, events and public programming, it provides a platform for conversations about architecture, design, sustainability, placemaking and the future of Scotland's built environment.