Overview
Victorians are being given the chance to help shape the future of inclusive and respectful public spaces and facilities in their state, with the help of a new interactive online map where they can share both positive and negative experiences with gender equality.
Currently being piloted in the council areas of Darebin and Melton, the new Gender Equality Map allows users — of all ages and genders — to anonymously drop a pin where they've encountered inclusive or exclusive infrastructure. This might include flagging locations for things like pram accessibility, baby change tables in women's and men's bathrooms, access to change rooms for all genders, or sexist advertising or street art around the neighbourhood.
Gender Equality Map
Developed in conjunction with CrowdSpot and Monash University, and with the backing of the Victorian Government, the Gender Equality Map builds on Plan International Australia's Free To Be map — an app which launched earlier this year allowing young women to pinpoint locations around Sydney where they felt safe or unsafe.
Once the pilot is over in mid-February, 2019, the community's mapped results will then be analysed and used to help inform necessary policy and infrastructure changes — helping councils, town planners, architects and policy-makers make more gender-inclusive decisions in their designs, hopefully leading to safer, more respectful public spaces and facilities.
While it's great that the government is looking to create more gender-inclusive spaces, we'd love to see a similar program rolled out for people of all abilities and disabilities, too.
It has not yet been announced whether the Gender Equality Map will be released in other Victorian councils.
The Gender Equality Map pilot can be found here. You can add to it up until mid-February, 2019.
Image: Josie Withers, Visit Victoria