Shining a light on safety in parks

greenspace scotland worked with Glasgow City Council to explore lighting and safety options within three pilot parks in Glasgow - Cranhill Park, Kelvingrove Park and Queen’s Park.

Glasgow City Council committed to look into providing sensitive lighting solutions in parks, which consider both equality and climate impacts. To explore the benefits, issues and implications of lighting in parks, greenspace scotland and Glasgow City Council used a placemaking approach in the three pilot parks - Cranhill Park, Kelvingrove Park and Queen’s Park. 

A series of workshops took place in Oct/Nov/Dec 2022 and included community discussions to inform different approaches to lighting and safety in parks. Online surveys gathered a wealth of information on how people use each park, along with their views on safety and lighting. This information helped shape the workshops and provided the views of people who couldn't attend.

Glasgow Parks Lighting and Safety Update

In April 2023 a full report with recommendations was presented by Glasgow City Council Officers to the Environment and Liveable Neighbourhoods City Policy Committee. Appendixes to the report included information on Lighting and Biodiversity and the final report provided by greenspace scotland that outlined the feedback received from the pilot parks workshops and online survey.

Read all the reports

Read greenspace scotland report 

Glasgow City Council has carried out intervention work following feedback and recommendations made from the workshops. This included general vegetation management to improve sightlines and feelings of safety within the three pilot parks. Along with works to improve access at entrances and the removal of railings to open up pathways at Cranhill Park. The Council is currently trialling off grid lighting solutions in Queen's Park and Kelvingrove Park, which is due to conclude in April / May 24. Other products, such as solar waymarking lights and reflective studs/lining have been installed in both Queen's Park and Kelvingrove. A Jun 24 Update Report has more detail on this work.

Read more about the project in our Apr 24 Project of the Month.

We are delighted that our work with Glasgow City Council on Safety and Lighting in three pilot parks is included in Making parks safe for women and girls guidance and learning from this project was incorporated into the guidance. Read more about the guidance below.

---

Making parks safe for women and girls

Practical guidelines were launched on 10 May 2023 to make parks and green spaces safer for women and girls across the UK. The guidance includes 10 case studies and suggests a range of practical measures, including creating openness and visibility, escape routes, better lighting and the positive presence of park staff and members of the community. The work was produced by a partnership between the Mayor of West Yorkshire, the University of Leeds, Make Space for Girls and Keep Britain Tidy. 

It is aimed at park managers, local authorities, police and community groups and also landscape architects and other public sector design professionals across the UK.

More details including of the launch conference, 'Women and Girls' Safety in Parks: Lessons from Research and Practice' are here: Making parks safe for women and girls  | University of Leeds  

Read Executive Summary

Download Full Guidelines