Podcast: Paty Rios on Women-Led Cities
For Happy Cities research and housing lead Paty Rios, having a seat at these tables has a lot to do with the female mentors who paved the way and created space for voices like hers.
In this episode of 360 Degree City, Paty talks about female mentorship in architecture and design, shares tips for designing for women’s experiences, and what she’s learned about making engagement more inclusive.
Give it a listen, here.
Here’s a note from Paty about the mentors that inspire her own work:
In the podcast I mention the importance of having role models in your professional life. I’ve had the fortune of running into women that have made me question how cities are currently designed. Most importantly, their practice has been about empowering stakeholders and communities.
Stefania Biondi and Moura Quayle are engagement experts and understand the power of bringing together diverse voices into participatory processes. Here are lessons I learned from them:
Embrace conflict.
Invite community in early, when you are at the problem-definition stage of a project.
Make sure you’re creating process that make participation feel comfortable and safe.
People are experts of their own lived experience.
Always be yourself and learn from your mistakes.
Read more from Paty about designing gender-inclusive cities in this Q&A.
