Designing Cities for Dignity with Emma McInnes
In the first episode of Crosswalks & Crosswalks, host Gabriela sits down with urban designer, illustrator, communicator, mother, and local board member Emma McInnes.
Emma grew up on a rural farm milking cows, endlessly jealous of her city cousins who lived next to a shared playground. That early contrast - between isolation and shared space - sparked a lifelong fascination with how the design of our cities shapes our lives.
The conversation explores why Emma co-founded Women in Urbanism Aotearoa, how the organisation has evolved to include diverse voices across gender identities and sectors, and why some of its strongest supporters are men.
Together, Gabriela and Emma unpack questions at the heart of urbanism: How do we design cities where people can live with dignity? Why are women’s experiences of cities so different from men’s? And what would happen if we planned transport systems around the real movement patterns of women?
From climate change to transport funding, they also explore why people often “salivate” over mega-projects like bridges and motorways while dismissing smaller, community-focused interventions - despite the latter often having the biggest impact on everyday life.
It’s a conversation about care, power, gender, and the sometimes quieter design decisions that shape how we move, connect, and belong in our cities.
Show Notes
Women’s safety in urban spaces reading material
* The Impact of Urban Design in minimizing Women’s Fear of Crime [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373281024_The_Impact_of_Urban_Design_in_minimizing_Women's_Fear_of_Crime]
* Making safer places: Gender and the right to the city [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247478158_Making_safer_places_Gender_and_the_right_to_the_city]
* Gender, urban space, and the right to everyday life [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315877330_Gender_urban_space_and_the_right_to_everyday_life]
* Perceptions of Public Safety in the Auckland CBD [https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/perceptions-public-safety-auckland-cbd]
* Taking back planning: Promoting women's safety in public places -- the toronto experience [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43029073]
* Lots more contact us at crosswalksxcrosstalks@gmail.com [crosswalksxcrosstalks@gmail.com] if you’d like a full list used for my dissertation.
CrosswalksxCrosstalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/ [https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/]
Emma McInnes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmamcinnes___/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/emmamcinnes___/?hl=en]
Emma McInnes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mcinnes-she-her-919b2553/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mcinnes-she-her-919b2553/]
Website WiUA: https://www.womeninurbanism.co.nz/\ [https://www.womeninurbanism.co.nz/\]
