Professor Clare Rishbeth is a Professor of Inclusive Landscapes in the School of Architecture and Landscape. Her research explores migration, inclusion and outdoor public spaces.
As part of an ‘Innovation Scholar’ research grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK, Clare Rishbeth recently partnered with We Made That for a year-long industry secondment where she was involved in a project designing women’s safety audits to make London safer for women, girls and gender diverse people.
The project, which was commissioned by the Transport for London and the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) has led to the creation of key resources designed to empower organisations and community groups to conduct their own Women’s Safety Audits and create safer spaces in their local areas.
Overall the project aims to help influence future safety initiatives and policies.
Clare’s research has also included the #RefugeesWelcome, a project which helped address barriers to park use by refugees and asylum seekers to help improve wellbeing and inclusion and The Bench Project which highlighted the importance of socially aware design of both benches and public space.
In this Q&A Clare talks about her career achievements and what she hopes to achieve in the future with her research:
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I am proud of leading the collaborative '#RefugeesWelcome in Parks' project. We grounded it in the complex everyday experiences of public spaces by people seeking asylum, we identified practical opportunities for inclusion and wellbeing, and we produced some beautiful resources for conversation classes that are still being used many years later.
Your research is already having a positive impact on people's lives, what do you hope to achieve in the future with your work?
There's still work to do in the profession of landscape architecture to ensure that our goal of increasing nature in urban areas is underpinned by a commitment to social justice and equality of access.
What would your advice be to young female academics starting out on their careers now?
Look wide! Find a network where you gain friendly support and can develop new questions. Get comfortable discussing your research outside of your School and outside of the University.