Safer Parks

Utilizing open data to enhance park safety for women and girls in Bradford

Parks have numerous benefits for health and wellbeing yet concerns about safety can constrain women and girls' use and experience of them.

What can open data tell us about park safety for women and girls?

Spatial data captures priority areas for improving safety including: park layout and access; lighting; vegetation; crime rates; and park user information.

An open data dashboard will make these insights accessible to local councils, 'Friends of' groups and community organisations.

Cartoon sketch of a park, with green grass, trees,
and fluffy clouds in the sky.
A diverse group of women are shown
using the park: cycling, pushing prams, walking, and lounging on picnic
mats, reading books.

This project aims to integrate the Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls research and guidance into local authorities' decision-making processes by providing a quantitative assessment of park safety using open-source data.

Initially focusing on Bradford parks, this project seeks to provide valuable data for community plans, accessibility audits, and urban design improvements, with a methodology designed to be reproducible across the UK.

This University of Leeds research project is supported by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC).

We're busy building the dashboard.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the project: