E26: Can We Design Out Danger? Spatial Justice, Safety & the Politics of Public Space with Deborah Saunt

What does it mean to design a city that's truly just? And can we actually design out danger?

In this episode of Talking Place, host Tanisha Raffiuddin sits down with Deborah Saunt, founding director of award-winning London practice DSDHA, for a wide-ranging conversation on spatial justice, community-led design, the safety of women and girls in urban space, and what it means to build cities that work for everyone.

Deborah brings the full weight of over 25 years in architecture and urban design to a conversation that moves from the deeply personal - feeling unwelcome as a 14-year-old girl walking through Belgravia - to the systemic: who writes the brief, who authors space, and who gets left out.

Topics covered in this episode:

•        What spatial justice actually means - and why 'public' doesn't always mean inclusive

•        DSDHA's 'community is context' philosophy and their practice of always talking to at least 100 people before designing anything

•        The Crabtree Fields restoration in Fitzrovia - a masterclass in co-design across 40 years

•        Mobility as a right - and why London's transport funding model is failing its residents

•        The male default in public space design, including hire bikes, lighting, and sightlines

•        'Movement and view' - Deborah's practical framework for designing safe public spaces

•        Regenerative design and the principle of being 'a good ancestor.'

•        DSDHA's next chapter: extra-urban, the Scottish Highlands studio, and what comes after cities

Resources & Links:

•        Deborah Saunt / DSDHA: https://dsdha.co.uk

•        Towards Spatial Justice (RIBA-funded research): https://dsdha.co.uk/discourse/writing/towards-spatial-justice

•        Make Space for Girls: https://www.makespaceforgirls.co.uk

•        London School of Architecture: https://www.lsa.ac.uk

Talking Place is hosted by Tanisha Raffiuddin, Creative Director at Concept Culture. 

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