Hack the City
What it is
A hands-on method for reading public space through a gender and inclusion lens. A group walks a chosen area, then maps what they saw — coding places by how safe, accessible and representative they feel.
The result is a qualitative map and diagnosis that makes invisible bias visible, and gives a community the evidence to ask for more inclusive, representative public spaces.
When to use it
- The built environment — streets, lighting, monuments, campus — shapes who feels safe and seen.
- You want first-hand, embodied evidence, not just a survey.
- You want a shareable map the community can rally around.
How to implement it
Walk the space, map what you see, then read the pattern together.
- Prepare
Frame the walk
Choose the area and the lens (safety, accessibility, representation). Brief participants and form small, mixed teams.
You produce- A route and a shared observation lens
- Walk
Explore on foot
Walk the area and record perceptions — photos, notes, feelings — of safety, access and who is represented.
You produce- First-hand observations from the ground
- Map
Map it together
Bring observations onto a shared map, colour-coding places by how they feel.
You produce- A qualitative map of the area
- Reflect
Read the diagnosis
Discuss the patterns: where is bias built into the space, and what would make it more inclusive?
You produce- A shared diagnosis & findings to act on
A vivid way to explore place and safety. Its map and findings feed dialogue, prototyping and advocacy.
- World Café — to discuss what the map reveals
- Social Innovation Hackathon — to prototype responses to what you found
- Action & Sustainability Plans — to turn findings into action
Hack the City Canvas
Use this canvas to plan a walk-and-map of public space through a gender and inclusion lens. Print it at A3, or fill it in together.
Area & lens
Which place will you walk, and through which lens — safety, accessibility, representation?
Route
The path you will take and the key stops.
Teams & roles
Small mixed teams; who photographs, notes and keeps time.
What feels safe
Where do people feel safe or unsafe — and why?
What’s accessible
Where is the space easy or hard to move through and use?
Who is represented
Whose names, images and needs are visible in the space — and whose are missing?
On the map
How you will code and cluster observations on a shared map.
The diagnosis
What pattern of bias does the space reveal?
Ask & act
What would make it more inclusive — and who can you ask?
How to facilitate a session
A guide to running a Hack the City walk-and-map session that ends with a shared spatial diagnosis.
1 Prepare
- Invite 5–15 people and choose a safe, walkable area and a clear lens.
- Allow 2–3 hours including the walk. Bring phones/cameras, notebooks, a large printed map and coloured stickers.
- Check the route in advance, and consider accessibility for all participants.
- Agree a facilitator, and a photographer and note-taker per team.
2 Run the session
- 15 minBrief — the lens, the route, safety, and how to record observations.
- 45 minWalk — small teams explore, photographing and noting how places feel.
- 20 minMap — teams place their observations on the shared map and colour-code them.
- 25 minRead it — discuss the patterns: where is inclusion designed in, or out?
- 15 minFindings & asks — agree the key findings and who could act on them.
3 Follow up
- Turn the coded map into a short visual diagnosis with photos and findings.
- Share it with participants, the community and relevant authorities.
- Feed the findings into a prototyping session or an action plan.
- Invite feedback and note routes for a future walk.
4 Running it online
- Participants can walk their own local area and upload photos to a shared map.
- Use a collaborative map or whiteboard to place and cluster observations together.
- Meet by video to read the patterns and agree findings.
- Prefer privacy-respecting tools, and be mindful of photographing people.
Example of implementation from the Labs4Change project
We applied the Hack the City methodology in Volos with a group of students to analyse public spaces through a gender lens. The dynamic was structured into an exploratory walk and a collective mapping session where participants visually coded their perceptions of safety and accessibility. The data underscored the importance of integrating a gender perspective into urbanism and the need for multidisciplinary teams when designing public spaces. The spatial analysis revealed a stark lack of representation in the city's symbolic landscape: virtually no monuments or statues dedicated to women, and the only existing one strictly depicted a theme of maternal reproduction. The main outcome was a qualitative map and diagnosis concluding that the city's current urbanism perpetuates a gender bias, giving the community key findings to demand more inclusive and representative public spaces.
Impact can be read on three tiers. Immediate impact: the heightened awareness of participants and the quality and diversity of the resulting map. Community impact: how local residents appropriate the map to build support networks and safe routes. Urban impact: the tangible transformation of the city (better lighting or green spaces) carried out by local authorities. Within a conference we deliberately focus on the first tier — shared learning, collective reflection and a shift in perspective — measured through a comprehensive form.
Explored the Labs4Change resources? Share your feedback
Your first impressions will help us improve the platform, Toolkit and other project outputs, and make them more useful and accessible for future users.
Resources & references
- Reference Her City — a guide to inclusive urban planning (UN-Habitat) A toolkit for seeing public space through a gender lens.