Are Women Better Planners And Architects?

19 July 2007 - 2:00pm

A survey by a British planning firm shows that most people think women would design and build more livable cities than men.

"Putting women in charge of designing our towns and cities would make them more practical and user-friendly, a new study has claimed.

Almost nine out of 10 adults in Britain think more women should be involved in designing our towns and buildings, a survey has discovered.

The result is an indictment of decades of urban design focused on technology and easy access by car.

Experts say houses designed by women can be more attuned to family lifestyles, but few women have reached the top of architectural or engineering professions."

"The survey by engineering consultancy Atkins found 88% of British adults think more women should be involved in building towns and cities.

Most of the people questioned believed buildings would be more user-friendly and practical, and better places to live and work, if more women were involved in their design and construction.

But one-third of women are put off a career in this sector because they believe it is dominated by men, a figure that rises to half among recent graduates.

Alun Griffiths, Atkins’ human resources director, said, “Our most successful projects bring the diverse skills from across our workforce together. Our own experience suggests women are particularly strong at collaboration and partnership – essential skills in any project.”"

Source: icWales, July 18, 2007

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Makes sense. But!

Being a chick, of course I had to read this article. It makes sense, especially about how discriminatory some places are toward the "pram and buggy" (hehe), but I still can't help but feel a sliiight tinge of [whisper] sexism [/whisper] in some parts of that story. Not the most brilliant thing I've read, but it certainly makes for a good topic of discussion. :]

Bookmark and Share
A few tips for would-be winter bikers: install fenders, ride slower, lower your seat so you can use your boots as an emergency brake and enjoy the Christmas-card scenery.