Co-Designing Active Parks with Teenage Girls in Birmingham Using Digital Technology

Abstract

This doctoral research investigates how active public spaces can be co-designed with teenage girls in Birmingham through participatory methods and digital technologies. The study addresses the persistent underrepresentation of girls and young women in urban planning and public space design, focusing on the barriers that discourage teenage girls from engaging with parks and outdoor active spaces. The research explores how inclusive active spaces informed by the experiences, perceptions, and aspirations of teenage girls can be developed and how immersive technologies and gamification can support participation and co-production processes. Employing a staged mixed-methods approach, the study combines surveys, focus groups, walk-and-talk interviews, co-design workshops, visual diaries, and digital prototyping using virtual and augmented reality tools. Teenage girls aged 12–16 are engaged as co-researchers throughout the process. The anticipated outcomes include new insights into teenage girls’ spatial experiences, a framework for digitally co-designing active public spaces, and policy recommendations for planners and practitioners. The research also contributes to broader debates on gender-sensitive urban design, participatory planning, and the use of digital technologies to support inclusive placemaking.