How one community has created a park where teenage girls belong
What happens after you ask teenage girls what they want from a park? Too often, the answer is... not very much. Young people are invited to workshops and consultations, their ideas are recorded and reports are written, but little changes in the spaces they use every day.
The story of Make Space York has been different. Initially inspired by the work of Make Space for Girls, the project began in 2021 with a simple aim: to understand whether teenage girls were missing from Rowntree Park in York and, if so, what might encourage them to spend more time there. What followed wasn't a single consultation, but an ongoing conversation that continues today.
Over five years, hundreds of girls have shared their experiences through surveys, workshops, conversations and creative activities. Alongside more traditional engagement methods, girls have expressed their ideas through art, photography, creative writing and other activities that often reveal thoughts and feelings which might never emerge through a questionnaire or interview. Together, this engagement has built a rich picture of how girls experience the park and what helps them feel they belong.
A space designed by girls
One of the clearest outcomes of those conversations has been the creation of a new co-designed area for teenagers.
The first phase opened in May 2024 following successful applications to a range of grant funders. Those applications were strengthened by clear evidence gathered through the engagement process, demonstrating both the need for the project and the ideas that had come directly from local girls. The area included a basket swing, a large timber climbing structure (affectionately known by many of the girls as ‘the climby loggy stacky thing’), an accessible picnic table and interpretation explaining why the space had been created and, importantly, who had helped design it.
In July 2026, the second phase was completed following further grant funding and community fundraising. The area now includes a tall climbing stack that encourages both climbing and socialising, roll bars for swinging, hanging and perching, permanent communal hammocks, additional seating and, soon, community artwork designed with local girls to further strengthen the sense that this is a space shaped by the people who use it.
The area is not just for girls, but a space where teenage girls know they are welcome.
Looking beyond equipment
The project has never been just about installing new equipment.
Throughout the engagement, girls talked about the wider park as much as they talked about individual pieces of play equipment. They discussed sightlines, places that felt hidden, the importance of wayfinding, planting, seating and creating a park where people of different ages naturally spend time together. They recognised that parks often feel safer and more welcoming when there are plenty of positive users and ‘eyes on the park’.
These conversations have informed wider improvements across Rowntree Park, from proposals to improve visibility by lowering hedges, to changes around the skatepark, better social spaces and ongoing discussions about how the park can continue evolving to become more inclusive.
The project has also challenged the assumption that all teenagers want the same thing. Rowntree Park already had facilities aimed at young people, including a skatepark and basketball court, both predominantly used by boys. Alongside creating a new social area, Make Space York has explored ways of making existing facilities feel more welcoming, including girls' basketball sessions and skate activities, while recognising that many girls, boys and gender-diverse young people simply want different ways to spend time outdoors.
Bringing parks to life
The engagement highlighted something else: many girls said they wanted more reasons to come to the park. This led to a programme of activities designed specifically with teenage girls in mind. Since 2023, Make Space York has delivered its annual Make Space Festival, alongside year-round opportunities including sports sessions, creative workshops, arts and crafts, nature connection, wellbeing activities and informal social events.
The project recognised that creating inclusive parks isn't only about changing physical spaces. Sometimes it's about changing how those spaces are used and who feels invited to be there.
More than a local project
Today, Make Space York has become a widely shared example of how community-led engagement can lead to meaningful change. The project has been presented nationally and internationally as a case study on how listening to girls can influence the design of parks and public spaces.
Led by Abigail Gaines, Project Lead for Make Space York and Charity Manager of Friends of Rowntree Park, the project demonstrates what can be achieved through a bottom-up approach. By combining meaningful engagement, local partnerships and evidence-based design, it has helped influence not only Rowntree Park but conversations about parks across the UK and beyond.
The new equipment is perhaps the most visible outcome of the project, but it isn't its greatest achievement - that’s the fact that teenage girls can now walk into Rowntree Park and see a space that exists because people listened. Their ideas didn't just end up in a report or consultation document - they became part of the park itself. A demonstration that meaningful engagement can create lasting change, inspiring other parks and communities to do the same.
Link to Make Space York Report
