FAQs

The pins placed on each map told us where people feel safe and/or unsafe. We chose the walk route based on the feedback we received from this process.

We walked along a route or in a space and observed and noted the things that made it feel safe and/or unsafe. We listened to experiences of feeling less safe and discussed what options there might be to improve the area. 

Council staff and NSW Police were with the group on the walks. 

In the co-design workshop community participants worked with Council staff to discuss and develop trial interventions so women feel safer when using these spaces. 

Interventions can be temporary, semi-permanent or permanent solutions that give women and girls the opportunity to use and connect in public spaces. Initial findings from a recent survey conducted by Transport for NSW found that the top five things that help make a public space feel safer for women are:

• good lighting
• presence of people
• time of day
• easy to navigate
• if it looks cared for.

Temporary interventions can include activities such as events, food trucks, markets, music performances. Semi-permanent or permanent interventions could include lighting, seating and infrastructure which will increase the feeling of safety in the space.

Interventions will be measured and evaluated before, during and after the trial to understand whether they improve perceptions of safety for the local community.

Safer Cities: Her Way is being funded via the Safer Cities Program ($30 million program) led by Transport for NSW. In alignment with the NSW Government’s Women’s Opportunity Statement 2022-23, the program aims to address priority area 5 - respect for women and women’s financial security. 

The program is also aligned with the United Nations Safer Cities for Girls programme aim to: 

1. increase women and girls’ safety and access to public spaces, including streets and open Spaces. 
2. increase women and girls’ engagement with how the spaces around them are designed and managed
3. Enable women and girls’ to move freely and alone in their community

The following core principles underpin the Safer Cities program: 

1. Proactively engage with women and girls 
2. Understand that mobility and perceived safety is a right for women 
3. Walkable public spaces ensure women can freely access their daily needs 
4. Activations and interventions create inviting public spaces and promotes public life 
5. Smart city technology is an enabler, offering new possibilities to address safety concerns.

Wollongong is one of 10 pilot councils participating in the Safer Cities: Her Way Program. The program has an emphasis on shared learnings via a community of practice and project case studies.