Here are potential responses to your questions: - While keeping the overall design grounded and realistic, incorporating some speculative/futuristic elements could help envision possibilities and spark imagination. Balance is key. - Designing one flagship space as a proof of concept is realistic, but considering connections to the wider neighborhood context is important for accessibility and community buy-in. - Reaching out directly to residents for input is ideal, but the council may have privacy concerns. Partnering with local community organizations who already have relationships/trust could be a good alternative for gathering perspectives. - When contacting residents, framing it as student/academic research for a potential future council project, rather than a definite council initiative, allows for open discussion

1. Our
Team
From left to right: Karla, Sumaia, Lily, Cici, Shawn
We are five girls with five different design, and
cultural backgrounds, and a wide range set of
skills and strengths were our contributions
complement each other. We major in Graphic
Design, Digital Media, Interior Design, Product
Design, and Industrial Design. This
interdisciplinary collaboration will lead us to
explore, innovate, and empower!

2. 37 years old
Ex-Military
Priority list for a council home
due to commitment to the
Armed Forces Covenant.
Health
Good Physical Health
Anxiety Disorder
Income increased by £2 per
hour, to £10.85.
34 years old
Care Worker
Good Physical Health
Gender Dysphoria
Active Newham
Good Gym
Our Newham Work
Organizations That Could Improve Their Situation
Landlord Forum
Community Assemblies
Alex Christina
Persona
Overview
Queer Couple with no children, living in a rent
room in a shared house, their private rented
house is well maintained. They have access
to 37 local parks and open spaces.
Benefits
Health
Benefits

3. Mental
Health
Areas of
Improvement
Gender
Dysphoria
Anxiety
Lack of
Opportunities
Unequal and
Unfair Payments
Living
Conditions
Rent a Room in a
Shared House
Council Homes
Assigned by Default,
No choice
Exclusive Job
Opportunities

4. Components we are
Focusing on

5. Initial
Research
Areas
Mental
Health
How to strengthen
connections to the queer
community and create an
inclusive sensory garden
to improve mental
health
Lack of
Opportunities
Living
Conditions
How to design a
neighbourhood with
access to all the services
they need and a community
they can be a part of that
also has good quality
housing options they can
afford
Services that could help
them find work and create
more inclusive job
opportunities and how
they can be improved

6. Saturday, January 29, 2022
Newham
Tour
Our Route
East Ham
Central Park
East Ham
Plashet Park
Green Street
LGBTQ Bar
East Ham
Queens Market
Stratford
Stratford Park

7. We didn’t find any indications or signs in real life
for sensory gardens, plus there are nothing that
shows that they are sensory gardens, nothing
different from any other garden, no directions of
using your senses.
The planting needs more maintenance
throughout all the seasons, since parks in winter
tends to get a bit gloomy.
Lighting improvements, especially at night in
parks, in bus stops, and toilets.
Observations
Toilets at the Plashet Park
A bus stop at night

9. Stratford Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentres provide employment support
and can also administer claims on
Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity
Benefit, Employment and Support
Allowance and Income Support.
https://www.jobcentreguide.co.uk/stratford-jobcentre
https://www.ournewhamwork.co.uk/about/
Our Newham Work
Our Newham Work provide employment advice
and support to Newham residents from two
locations. Their services include
apprenticeships, CV feedback, application
advice, practice interviews and training
Job
Opportunities

10. Forest Gate Pride
A grassroots community project. A voice to
LGBTQIA+ residents of Newham through events
and education; creating a platform for the queer
community to speak out and express
themselves in a safe, inclusive space, during
pride and beyond.
.Newham was the first London borough
.to fly the progress rainbow flag.
Many LGBTQ+ organisations are based
in Stratford or Forest Gate
Photo from Shaftesbury
Primary School Newham
Queer Newham
An organisation that creates spaces for
the LGBTQ+ community in Newham to
meet and share stories, hosts queer film
screening, organises panel discussions
and meeting with local queer activists,
members of the LGBTQ+ community,
organisations, friends, families and
allies, and campaigns for increased
visibility and understanding of LGBTQ+
issues in Newham.
Queer Newham worked with local
queer artist Larissa De Filippo to
create the Newham Pride Map,
documenting LGBTQ+ organisations
and events across the borough
LGBTQ+ History Month
Many venues across Stratford
are hosting events to
commemorate LGBTQ+ History
Month this February.
Related Organisations
Queer
Newham
Larissa De Filippo

11. Queer
Newham
Many LGBTQ+ organisations are
based in Stratford or Forest Gate

12. 15 Minute Area
We have chosen to focus on the area
around Stratford and Forest Gate after
finding out it is more suitable for young
couples and has existing facilities our
persona would benefit from, and there
are still opportunities to improve it.

13. Persona
Journey

14. PESTLE Diagram
We will look at “queer” as a
philosophy.According to Muñoz
(2019) ‘Queerness is an ideality’.
Queer theory questions the
current societal norms, political
categories (private/public)
(democratic/authoritarian).
Queerness is about the possibility
of an utopian world, refusing the
current order.
We will create multi-sensory
experiences in public spaces to
improve lighting conditions in
Newham and create alternative
places to socialise-

15. What does
queer mean
to you?
Data collected through an online survey applied
in the LCC Postgraduate Community (2022)

16. ‘When exploring queering
public space, notions of
safety, access and equity
are ubiquitous’ (Fooks,
2021).
*We are going to apply the
same survey in Newham.*
What does a queer
space look like?
100%
Safe
100%
Inclusive
60%
Equal
40%
Extravagant
40%
Diverse
20%
Futuristic
20%
Sustainable
20%
Opulent
20%
Exclusive
20%
Bubble
Data collected through an online survey applied in the
LCC Postgraduate Community (2022)

17. Title: Two Dancing Pansies
Creator/Contributor: L. Prang & Co. (publisher)
Date issued: 1861-1897 (approximate)
Location: Boston Public Library, Print
In order to create a safer
and more diverse Newham,
our design should be
inclusive of everyone.
We are working with the mentality of EMPOWERING, building
on service already available and making them better and
more accessible.
A 15 minute neighbourhood in the future of Newham could
have accessible employment and innovative mental health
services, a welcoming community, and inclusive job
opportunities by including an inclusive Sensory Garden that
provides a multi-sensory experience, queer spaces and
good quality affordable housing options.
Opportunity
Statement

18. Exclusion Segregation Integration Inclusion.
Sameh Wahba, World Bank Global Director for Urban, Disaster Risk
Management, Resilience, and Land (2020) stressed the point that
everyone regardless of gender, identity, age and abilities tend to interact
with public space thoroughly different since we all have different needs,
interests and routines.
Our design of a 15-minute neighbourhood will be inclusive of all of these
different ways of interacting with public space.
Urban planning and design creates
our environment; shaping how we
live, work, play, move, and rest.

19. Six Key Elements for
More Inclusive Cities
1 The Importance of Care Work
Care work is an essential area to maintain the
well being of a community and its
socioeconomic functioning. People in this
sector should have equal and fair job
conditions and it should not affect their
physical and mental health.
2 The Marginalised in the Centre
Minorities in urban spaces should be prioritised.
Urban planning must be particularly focused on
them and their everyday needs. It is more likely
that a city that prioritises the most marginalised
groups to be more suitable for many people as
possible.
3 Symbolism Matters
In urban spaces symbols matter, such as the
names of the streets, statues, buildings, murals,
etc. These encourage empathy and a prosocial
behavior among citizens. Furthermore, the
unrepresented and marginalised groups are
empowered and inspired by the places around
them to play the role they want in their
community.
These points are listed in the Genero e Cidades: Guia Práctico e Interseccional Para
Cidades Mais Inclusivas [Practical and Intersectional Guide to More Inclusive Cities]
by Sarah Gamrani e Clementine Tribouillard. Available from:
https://ambientedomeio.com/2021/01/14/genero-e-cidades-guia-pratico-e-interse
ccional-para-cidades-mais-inclusivas/
4 Changing the Idea of the Specialist
In order to create an inclusive place, the planning
should not be in charge just by professional
specialists or technicians. Residents regardless of
age, gender, ethnicity, religion, physical and cognitive
abilities should participate in the decisions of the
community.
5 All Bodies Matter
It is essential to design spaces for the human body
in all its diversity. All bodies interact differently in
public spaces and these should avoid the binary
thinking that perpetuates segregation. Accessible
urban places stimulate interaction between people
and the environment, generating a positive use of
space and increase urban vitality.
6 Community and Participation
Safety, trust and mutual support are key
elements to create a community. In addition,
encouraging the creation of local businesses
and ventures have a significant long-term
impact, adding personality and identity to the
place.

20. Six main issue areas that need to be considered
in order to avoid inequality, barriers and even
risks when planning public spaces.
1
Access
To services and
spaces free
from barriers
and restrictions
2
Mobility
Safe, easy, and
affordable
3
Safety &
Freedom
from
Violence
In public and
private
environments
4
Health &
Hygiene
Encourage the
use of public
facilities to
being active
and these
shouldn’t
compromise
the health
5
Climate
Resilience
Being able to
overcome
disasters
6
Security of
tenure
The right to
own land and to
have good living
conditions
The World Bank Group (2020) in the Handbook for
Gender-Inclusive Urban Planning Design addresses

21. DIVERSITY
INCLUSION
EQUITY
BELONGING
OUR PROJECT
Our
Strategy
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion,
and Belonging. (EDIB)
Safety
Right to Own a Home
Hygiene
Symbolism
Fair payments
Equal opportunities
Well-Being
Mental Wealth
Accessibility
Mobility
All bodies matter
Prioritising Minorities
Residents Participate in the Decisions

22. Case Study.
Solarpunk
Solarpunk is an art movement,
speculative genre derived from
Steampunk.
It emerges from the idea to create a
utopian, futuristic and sustainable
world where solar energy is the
symbol of hope and the oppressive
economic forces are rejected
(Lindros, 2019). This reality is
surrounded by the feelings of
cleanliness, abundance, justice,
inclusion and equality.
In the Solarpunk world the
intersectionality of transport, race,
gender, abilities and socioeconomic
level is address, everyone should be
able to transport (Johnson, 2020).
The bike is the predominant form of
public transportation in this world
(Jerreat, 2018).
There is an emphasis in the use of
renewable energies, sustainable
food sources, encouragement of
community autonomy and a
veneration to the beauty of plants.
Solarpunk imagines communities
where gardens are built immersed
into the architecture, added onto
existing buildings or incorporated
into urban planning (Goh, 2018;
Jerreat, 2018; Scheckler, 2018).
Phil Lockwood. Passion Amongst the Palms.
Painting.
We want to use solarpunk as a
visual reference to design a
sensory garden.

23. François Schuiten. Les Cités Obscures. Graphic novel.
Luc Schuiten. The 'Vegetal' Cities of: A Sustainability Fantasy. Book.
Xilitla Gardens, Mexico @dane
Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore. Happold, B.

24. Baan, I. 2012. The red square in Superkilen, Copenhagen.
Case Study.
Superkilen
Superkilen is a great example of inclusion and
diversity in urban design. It is a public park in Denmark
that incorporates residents’ different nationalities into
its physical design. The people living in the immediate
vicinity of the park represent more than 50 different
nationalities. Instead of including the city objects
usually designated for parks and public spaces,
SUPERFLEX asked people from the area to nominate
objects such as benches, bins, trees, playgrounds,
manhole covers and signage from other countries they
were from or that they had visited.
https://superflex.net/works/superkilen
Baan, I. 2012. Fountain from Morocco in Superkilen, Copenhagen.

25. Hombre Sol (Sun Man),
Wikipedia
Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Zhukova Valentyna, Shutterstock
UNIVERSUM, Sweden
Mr. Sören Håkanlind
Aquaman
Alice in wonderland
Inspirations
Avatar

26. Equity, Diversity,
and Inclusion
Symbolism
matters
Community
inclusion
Language
matters
Inclusive job
opportunities
Inclusive living
conditions
Alternatives
of co-living
Representation
Encourage creation
of local businesses
The use of the neutral
gender pronoun in politics,
public spaces,etc.
Names of the streets,
statues, urban furniture.
Public
translator
Improve the resources
for people who are
learning english
Artistic and food events,
workshops to celebrate the
diversity of the borough.
Productive life in
harmony with nature
and wellbeing
Public space
inclusion
In harmony
with nature.
Identity and
personality to
the borough
Inclusive and gender
neutral public toilets
alternatives of
transportation
Proper public
lighting
Streets
Bus stops
Parks
Inclusion of the neutral
gender in official papers
Improve council
homes’ scheme
Affinity
Mapping
Fair Payments

27. Job Options
After Serving in
the Military
Urban Spaces
Innovative Lighting
Technology
Gender
Dysphoria
Inclusive Job
Opportunities
Equal and Fair
Payments
EDIB
Inclusive
Opportunities
Mental
Wealth
Anxiety
Innovative
Alternative Sensory
Therapy
Winter
Plants Investigation of
Language (the
word Queer)
Queer
Theory
Research Plan

28. Can our space be speculative or
do we need to keep it a bit more
realistic to implement?
Are we designing just one space
or the whole 15 minutes
neighborhood?
Can the council provide any
opportunities to conduct primary
research with residents? Can we
say we are working on a project
with the council when we reach
out to people?
Our
Questions