Women’s action group Part W has already received more than 70 photos of the frustrating, everyday ‘built barriers’ that women and girls face. Launched on International Women’s Day last month (8 March), the Built Barriers awareness campaign’s initial phase will create a visual archive of real-life examples, documenting how those who identify and live as women are affected by spaces ‘that weren’t designed with them or their safety in mind’. Submissions range from transport hubs lacking step-free access for parents to travel with a pram, to routes that feel unsafe, overly glazed façades which overheat internal spaces, making them uncomfortable for those experiencing the menopause, to the poor design, or total lack, of breastfeeding spaces.Advertisement This first-phase call-out for evidence runs until June, when the images will form the basis for a discussion at the London Festival of Architecture. The photos will also inform the group’s next stage, which will explore best-practice design from around the world, spotlighting gender-inclusive projects to show how ‘thoughtful design can create spaces where all people of all genders can thrive’. Zoë Berman, founder of Part W, told the AJ: ‘This is about gathering evidence. Then, we want to look at solutions – including shining light on exemplar projects – and from there we hope to scrutinise design policy which doesn’t include gender as a factor that should be considered in planning and placemaking.’  She added: ‘We need those who identify as men and people of all genders to submit Built Barriers photos. When the built environment is realised in a way that makes it hard for women and girls to navigate spaces safely and accessibly, that impacts all those at risk of violence and people of all genders, those of all ages who are caregivers, have a history of trauma and those who have mobility challenges.  ‘We’re calling on everyone – all those who use built space – to get involved in making these problems visible by sharing their Built Barrier photos with us.’  To take part, the group is asking for photos of design barriers in the built environment to be shared on Instagram or LinkedIn by tagging @PartW and using #BuiltBarriers.Advertisement Source:Claire CurticeEssex Road station, north London I took this photo in 2019 on the underground platform of Essex Road station. It was late at night and I was the only one there. Having taken a rickety industrial lift down to the depths of the underground, I found myself waiting on the dishevelled platform staring into the darkness of the tunnel listening to an echoing dripping pipe, conscious that if anything happened no one would hear me scream. It was one of the few occasions in the city that I felt completely unsafe. Six years on and I wouldn’t feel any safer today. With violent acts against women and girls on the rise by 37 per cent between 2018 and 2023, I’ll choose a different route home next time. Claire Curtice, communications consultant, Zetteler Source:Fiona MacDonald There is a huge lack of investment in basic infrastructure. This results in makeshift, temporary and inaccessible workarounds. In this instance, what should be a short, car-free route to the park is an assault course – trying to wheel a double buggy over wooden pallets to avoid deep overflow water. It would have been completely impassable for a wheelchair user. It makes you realise you’re the afterthought. It can get to the point you have to psych yourself up to leave your home. Since having two babies, I often only go out with another adult with us so we can together navigate the obstacles of the city. These built barriers exist in plain sight and represent a society that believes it’s OK to exclude those who don’t fit an able-bodied, non-care-giving mould. Fiona MacDonald, co-founder and director, MATT+FIONA Source:Tom Fotheringham This is an access route to my son’s nursery on a newly built estate in Hornsey, North London. Some basic changes to the road layout could have made this much more equitable and safer for those walking down it – especially given the number of people walking with pushchairs. For instance: there is no pavement on one side and the other is blocked by bollards; there is a bin store in front of the dropped kerb, so it is also often blocked; there is minimal street lighting, making it feel doubly dangerous in the dark. Tom Fotheringham, associate, Stanton Williams Source:Sarah Wigglesworth This is a private estate isolated from its surroundings by a ring road (the A21 Farnborough Way in Orpington). The space in between is taken up by a car park – a no-man’s land. So, to walk from the bus stop, you have to navigate through the unlit car park and then through this gap between two houses and the passage flanked by paling fences. Navigating these spaces, especially when full of cars, feels dangerous. Anyone could be lurking in the shadows or behind a vehicle and you could be trapped. Sarah Wigglesworth