<a href="https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/planning-and-redevelopment/how-feminist-urbanism-could-transform-glasgow-10019">Glasgow Councillors met this week to talk</a>&nbsp;about incorporating the lived-experience of women and girls into their planning and decision making processes, and &lsquo;embed gender equality into the City Development Plan.&rsquo;
This is not a simple undertaking for Scottish cities or any urban spaces globally. It is imperative that decisions in the built environment be informed by the lived experiences of all women.
Veronica and Gala have been exploring this internally, with thoughts and inspiration from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nourhan-bassam-39164b78">Nourhan Bassam</a>. Our Data Science Lead Gala asked: What could we measure - directly from the built environment, which would provide insight into whether an area makes women feel safe and comfortable in the space? Could we test, with urban environment data, some of the considerations and challenges being explored by policymakers who want to embed gender equality in ways that ensure truly inclusive and equitable cities?
The real work of feminist urbanism will have, in part, to start in evaluating how what we have already built, supports or hinders women to thrive in the city.
Many will jump on board to do this, but we should be mindful that sometimes the biggest and best change comes from making space for new voices and new players.
Analysis and ideas that come with fresh eyes and are less loaded with baggage. It will be important that in the path to &ldquo;listen to women&rdquo; cities take an intersectional approach and go above and beyond to include all different kinds of women, and mirror the approach within the women population. This means listening to those who are most marginalised. A lot of times the &ldquo;voice of women&rdquo; is actually the voice of affluent and/or white women.
We hope this group and others looking to bring women and girls&rsquo; experience into city planning and decision making take inspiration from Audre Lorde:
&ldquo;I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.&rdquo;
Our cities are not feminist cities if they don&rsquo;t work for the most marginalised.
The feminist urbanism agenda must break beyond binaries.
Our Planning Lead Veronica added that decision makers should be wary.
&lsquo;To really be inclusive means recognising different needs&nbsp;irrespective&nbsp;of gender, and understanding the links between societal issues and the built environment.
It is going to be very difficult to plan for women if we don&rsquo;t interrogate and challenge gender stereotypes around public spaces e.g. all there is in this park is a skatepark and a basketball court and that doesn&rsquo;t cater for girls: maybe it doesn&rsquo;t, but maybe it does or could.
From personal experience this is not necessarily true - I loved hanging out in skateparks and played basketball - while lots of boys didn&rsquo;t. What I didn&rsquo;t like about skateparks was the wolf whistling from older boys and staring. The systemic social issue reflective of a highly patriarchal society was the problem, not the space itself.&rsquo;
Get in touch to talk more about Feminist Urbanism, explore how data can support the creation of equitable urban environments or to learn about how principles of inclusion and equity are embedded in our tools and approach to geospatial data visualisation.

Feminist Urbanism for policymakers is not a simple undertaking

We worked with Manchester City Council (MCC) to consider and make recommendations on how a digital asset mapping initiative might:
<ul>
<li>increase digital inclusivity across the city</li>
<li>act as best practice for streamlining data management, and</li>
<li>integrate with the City&rsquo;s sustainability goals.</li>
</ul>
The result of this work is published in a report for MCC, which the council will be able to build on as it progresses the initiative. For this project, we were delighted to work with our collaborator, Julia Thomson.
We focused on fibre optic broadband cabling as the digital asset. We gathered input from MCC partners to understand how a digital asset mapping initiative might fit within a complex system of existing initiatives. We listened to a broad range of Manchester stakeholders to draw-out where there is an unmet need for data that describes digital exclusion and fibre cabling availability. From this work, we collated multiple, specific &lsquo;problem statements&rsquo; that MCC can prioritise and design a solution for.
We identified three potential problem statements for a digital asset mapping initiative to target:
<ol>
<li>How might MCC narrow the digital divide by measuring and mapping under-connected populations and analysing potential barriers to get them connected?</li>
<li>How might MCC minimise the cost and disruption associated with installing fibre cabling?</li>
<li>How might MCC maximise its return on investment for highway improvement &ndash; by coupling fibre roll-out with more improvement schemes?</li>
</ol>
During that digital asset mapping initiative we provided guidance to MCC on ways to manage sensitive data. We explored how trusted research environments (TREs) and privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) might become useful tools to unlock commercially sensitive data, or evaluate how initiatives to expand broadband access are performing. We used principals from data trusts to guide MCC in developing data-sharing agreements, making sure those agreements were transparent and supported enforceable measures to prioritise the interests of Mancunians.
In addition to our user research and technical advice, we identified several funding pathways for MCC to explore, in order to make this initiative financially achievable and sustainable.
This is an important project because it represents an opportunity for MCC to tactically link its social priorities, like digital inclusion, with its ambition to be a &lsquo;world class&rsquo; digital city. We were excited for the opportunity to describe how modern data management tools and governance structures can be used to challenge the assumption that sensitive data is synonymous with closed, private data. The digital asset mapping initiative may allow for MCC to trial new approaches to data governance, or new technologies to enable greater sharing of sensitive data responsibly.
We learned that Manchester has a motivated, ambitious collection of stakeholders, who see the benefits of collaborating on a digital asset mapping initiative to improve the city. Manchester is open to new ways of thinking, when it comes to how it might transparently collect, govern, and share data. However, the early nature of this project means that the priority use case, and primary user group, has not been selected.
In the next phase of this work, MCC will select a specific problem statement, explore the value of solving that problem, and develop a funding strategy for taking this initiative further. We are very much looking forward to seeing where Manchester takes this work.
Are you developing a data management initiative? If you want to explore how sensitive data can be used and shared securely &ndash; we would like to speak with you. Send us an email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hello@diagonal.works">hello@diagonal.works</a>

Starting Manchester City Council’s Digital Asset Mapping journey

Something is missing in the active travel movement - consistent data to make accurate, sustainable and inclusive decisions. This blog explores one solution that Diagonal is championing and how we are calling for collaborators.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Active travel &ndash; everyday journeys made by walking, wheeling, or cycling &ndash; has a range of benefits for people&rsquo;s health and the environment, including being a low-carbon form of travel. The UK Department for Transport (DfT) wants active travel to be the natural choice for shorter journeys in England, or part of longer journeys, by 2040.
</blockquote>
&ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/active-travel-in-england/">UK National Audit Office</a>
We need a consistent, open specification for recording, planning and publishing data about the physical infrastructure that supports active travel. This means we need better data on the UK&rsquo;s pathways, cycleways, and pedestrian crossings.&nbsp;
At Diagonal we have a purpose and a commitment to supporting positive change, systematically. In partnership with <a href="https://www.appliedinformation.group/">Applied</a>, we are calling for standardisation of pathways data in an Active Travel Data Specification (ATDS). This is why.
<h2 dir="ltr">Why active travel?</h2>
At Diagonal we work with data to help planners and architects who want to make positive changes in the urban environment. We make it easy for people to explore scenarios for change, using data and visualisation tools to democratise sophisticated analysis. We believe in the benefits of safe, accessible, well-designed pathways. So we want to make it easier to design <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/healthy-streets#:~:text=The%20Healthy%20Streets%20Approach%20focuses,from%20getting%20out%20and%20about.">healthy streets</a> and <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/complete-streets">complete streets</a>. To do that at scale, we need consistency in the data behind development proposals.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Research based on longitudinal population study data finds that journeys of walking and cycling maintain and improve physical and mental health across the life course. However, the data also show it is important that means of active travel are easily accessible to everyone so it can become part of peoples&rsquo; daily routine.
</blockquote>
[<a href="https://closer.ac.uk/news-opinion/news/active-travel-briefing-2023/#:~:text=Research%20based%20on%20longitudinal%20population%20study%20data%20finds,it%20can%20become%20part%20of%20peoples%E2%80%99%20daily%20routine." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLOSER</a>]
To make active travel more accessible requires a detailed understanding of the landscape and currently this is hampered by poor quality, mismatched, differently labelled data. To&nbsp; unlock active travel&rsquo;s potential we need consistent information about existing infrastructure for active travel and consistent information about planned infrastructure for active travel. We need this type of data to be open and available to everyone.
<h2 dir="ltr">What&rsquo;s the problem?</h2>
In the UK and internationally, there is no agreed standard for recording or publishing data about where we can safely cycle, wheel, and walk.&nbsp; Data attributes are not aligned. Definitions of path width, surface materials, presence of steps, inclines, lighting or other factors related to the pathway are inconsistent. This makes the data unfit for multiple purposes and multiple systems.&nbsp;
The power of consistent data specifications comes from the power of interoperable data. Data that can be used in a range of tools and applications. Without a specification, anyone exploring trends or analyses of active travel has to consolidate multiple, separate datasets. Further, solutions stay localised, rather than scaling. For example, when active travel data takes a different shape in London, compared with Cardiff, compared with Edinburgh, application developers who want to build routing applications for wheelchair users don&rsquo;t have a reliable foundation to build with.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0H2MyWiIvM"> Or when planning new developments</a>, decision makers don&rsquo;t have data about the &lsquo;last mile&rsquo; that might connect a new project with employment opportunities, healthcare, or education.&nbsp;
And for active travel asset owners, there is no standardised way to collect or share information about their assets. This is unsustainable. It leads to wasted time and effort: re-invention and ad-hoc creation of new datasets which don&rsquo;t work with existing data. For local authorities and mapping providers this is a problem &ndash; they are unable to make use of this data or unlock its social value.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">How do we fix it?</h2>
We are proposing an Active Travel Data Specification (ATDS), to provide guidance towards a consistent specification. We want to&nbsp; increase everyone&rsquo;s understanding of active travel infrastructure today, and what is planned in the future. Such a specification could power useful tools for safer active travel pathways.
A data specification for active travel will allow many disparate and dispersed stakeholders and interested parties to improve the ROI on their investment in active travel &ndash; ensuring collective knowledge grows and sustainability is ensured by better, high quality, and more comprehensive data..&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">What will it do?</h2>
By creating a reliable picture of the UK's pathways with coordinated data, it will enable better active travel planning, more inclusive routing applications, and greater efficiencies in data management at the local level. Developers and local authorities will be able to use data about active travel to understand multi-modal connectivity &ndash; beyond their own local boundaries. Large and small mapping apps will be able to surface information relevant to people with disabilities or additional mobility needs. And stakeholders will be able to access information about active travel infrastructure in the pipeline.&nbsp;
Ultimately the aim of the Active Travel Data Specification (ATDS) is to increase the amount of active travel journeys and to make sure this works best for people with greater need. This includes disabled and older people who will benefit the most from the interoperability of pathways data and more accurate and data-informed decisions.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">How will it work?</h2>
The world has many transportation-related&nbsp; data specifications and data schemas for things like public transit schedules (like: General Transit Feed Specification &ndash; GTFS, Bus Rapid Transit&ndash; BRT, and even OpenStreetMap OSM.) So the concept of building consistent data to describe transport infrastructure is not new!&nbsp; Many of these specifications are now widely adopted and transit agencies wouldn&rsquo;t dream of operating without them. We will take inspiration from these schemas, systems, and codified publishing guidelines. The innovation is in applying these systems to active travel &ndash; not inventing a new way to standardise and share information.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Work with us</h2>
We can&rsquo;t do this alone! Applied and Diagonal are currently in the scoping phase of this project. If you are ready to pilot this with us, let&rsquo;s connect: <a href="mailto:claire@diagonal.works">claire@diagonal.works</a>

Active Travel Data Specification

This blog post has in part been inspired by the recent coverage of 15min city concepts in the mainstream media (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/16/15-minute-city-planning-theory-conspiracists">In praise of the &lsquo;15-minute city&rsquo; &mdash; the mundane planning theory terrifying conspiracists | Oliver Wainwright | The Guardian</a>) and the fears they have explored. It is also a reflection on how the concept may apply to more rural localities where distances between homes and services/facilities are inevitably greater than in a typical urban context.
Before this, the team at Diagonal had already been discussing the pros and cons of this type of planning concept. What do we need to think about and understand when considering equity in accessibility to services, facilities and opportunities? And what about the range of encounters, the diversity of offerings and quality of services that different people living in different neighbourhoods may be able to, or need to, access within a typical 15 min walk?
One thing is clear &mdash; some fears expressed are unfounded when you go back to the concept itself. No supporter of the concept is implying a restriction in access, or an inability to go beyond a certain boundary. No municipality has, to date, shown any ambition to patrol the &lsquo;gates&rsquo; that may demarcate a 15/20-minute radius from a given centre.
However, the concept does seem to provide a sound platform to explore ways of improving the quality of life of people living in cities, with an emphasis on locality. Aside from recognising that developing greater relationships with one&rsquo;s neighbourhood, be it shopping local, frequenting local parks and community centres, getting to know our neighbours can have positive effects on our mental health, it is also an obvious response to the climate crisis. There is clearly an urgent need to reduce and minimise car journeys. With that in mind, increasing the proximity between someone&rsquo;s home and their point of interest seems an obvious starting point. This is not always practical. A shorter journey may not automatically mean a switch from driving to walking/cycling/wheeling etc. But with appropriate consideration and adequate local governance, adopting a 15-minute or similar principle, some positive things that may happen include:
<ul>
<li>if realistic, walking/cycling/wheeling instead of driving: positive knock-on effects on physical, mental health and wider population health through improved air quality</li>
<li>a better spread of services and facilities in any given neighbourhood: resulting in more vibrant places, more passive surveillance and therefore potentially safer places, more chance encounters and therefore reduced loneliness for some, more jobs closer to home for a number of people</li>
<li>increased footfall for local businesses: shop local, support small</li>
<li>generally more liveable streets, with the opportunity to replace car traffic with more street furniture, play opportunities, planting etc</li>
</ul>
The concept raises questions though, particularly if we ask &lsquo;a 15-minute city for whom&rsquo;? For example, could a barista in your local cafe afford to live within 15 minutes of their place of work? Or what happens when some parents decide the most walkable school is not good enough for their children and enrol them in a school a short drive or a 40-minute walk from home? How do these types of dynamics affect the concept and its real world application and sustainability?
The answers go beyond a concept that is not designed to solve deep-rooted political, planning, and behavioural challenges. In theory an equal spread of genuinely affordable housing should mean that a barista could live within walking distance of their place of work. Equally, if Ofsted ratings did not play such a big part in more privileged families&rsquo; decisions around schooling, and everyone just attended their nearest school, there would likely be more equity across the board in terms of educational opportunities. However, the chronic lack of affordable housing in the UK is always going to be a challenge; just as the implementation of school catchment areas is currently the only way to manage the link between homes and schools.
In addition, it is a tough call for 15-minute city concepts to undo the mass deployment of less sustainable but ubiquitous, car-dominated, edge-of-town estates. However, the aspiration for people to be able to access key services and facilities in a more sustainable (and potentially more pleasant!) way can only be a positive one.
And so, in my view, the concept needs to be supported by a wider strategy around mobility, one that focuses not only on more equitable access to key services and facilities, but also to education, work, play, and culture for all parts of the population.
It is not realistic to think that everyone is able to, or would want to, live within 15 minutes walking distance of an art gallery, or of high-earning work opportunities. But it would be naive to ignore the fact that access to certain opportunities is linked to income, education, and health outcomes. Therefore enabling those that want to, to reach those places relatively quickly and cheaply, through good quality and reliable public transport infrastructure, is key. And on top of enabling access to opportunities, proximity-focussed planning is about making everyone feel that, irrespective of their socio-economic background, they are aware of and are welcome to visit&nbsp;x&nbsp;museum, frequent&nbsp;x&nbsp;playpark, aspire to work or study in&nbsp;x&nbsp;location etc. Otherwise, the criticism that 15-minute cities would risk amplifying socio-economic differences may have legs.
Perhaps one of the greatest issues with the concept of &lsquo;15-minute city&rsquo; or &lsquo;20-minute neighbourhoods&rsquo; is the &lsquo;number of minutes&rsquo;. This is why talking about the concept of &lsquo;happy proximity&rsquo; instead is so attractive. Quoting Carlos Moreno in a recent interview with the Parkly team (<a href="https://helloparkly.com/sustainable-cities-of-happy-proximities-2/">Sustainable cities of happy proximities - helloparkly.com</a>)
The question with 15-minute city and 30-minute territory is not the number of minutes. Sometimes people are almost obsessed with the number of minutes, and it doesn&rsquo;t really matter if it is 15, 30, 17 or 35 minutes &mdash; that&rsquo;s not the point of the model.
Thinking about more rural locations, Moreno&rsquo;s view is that:
We should develop a sharing economy, such as sharing cars, and we could propose to small towns and ruralities new economic models supported by technologies, for example collective, shared mobility systems.
Instead of each small town having to try to invest in the same services for instance, we can think of a grid model for resources and create a shared territorial vision.
Happy proximity is contextual. While in some locations, it may be inappropriate and unrealistic for someone to have all their basic needs and wants within a 15-minute walk of their home, a balance can be struck whereby some of these needs are closer than others. But also for the services/facilities etc that are further afield, there should be room for innovation in terms of accessing these facilities more sustainably, or perhaps making those facilities mobile, or even sharing those facilities with neighbouring towns/villages. Mobile libraries are a great example of this, and not an innovation!
The point is, there is generally room for improving people&rsquo;s accessibility to places of interest, irrespective of where they live &mdash; and this is even more important now, for a range of reasons, including:
<ul>
<li>climate change and the need to travel more sustainability</li>
<li>people&rsquo;s physical health and mental health</li>
<li>the need to increase equity in accessibility</li>
<li>mixing up uses in neighbourhoods can add vitality to an area</li>
</ul>
In more rural areas, this may open the door to new opportunities such as:
<ul>
<li>opportunities for small localities to make joint business cases for new, shared facilities</li>
<li>opportunities for new businesses to start &lsquo;on wheels&rsquo;, reducing overheads and potentially reaching more people: eg bakeries, libraries, theatres, butchers, fishmongers</li>
<li>opportunities to seek investment for e-bike and e-scooter schemes</li>
</ul>
The idea for these opportunities to be tested as part of a &lsquo;shared territorial vision&rsquo; is particularly exciting. It is something that Diagonal&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://diagonal.works/post/skyline-use-cases/">Skyline tool</a>&nbsp;is designed to do, effectively and cheaply.
If you would like to know more, or if you have a project that you&rsquo;d be intrigued to test,&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hello@diagonal.works">get in touch!</a>.

15-minute city musings

As part of the 2023 Architecture Fringe Gala attended a session on Feminist Urbanism &ndash; what is it and why now? Here are some of her thoughts on the session and how we can build a more equitable future.
Diagonal is a majority female owned, steward led company. Part of our remit is making sure our work considers wider social good, and we are committed to making urban spaces equitable and accessible, and understanding how and why that is important to making them safe, thriving and inclusive for everyone.
Feminist Urbanism - what is it and why now?
The event was a conversation lead by Daisy Narayanan MBE and Jude Barber who spoke to Councillor Holly Bruce of Glasgow City Council and Professor Suzanne Ewing of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/women-make-cities">Women Make Cities Initiative</a>&nbsp;from the University of Edinburgh.
It had a lot of audience participation, which was refreshing, interesting, and incredibly empowering. The audience was not as mixed as you might have hoped &ndash; there were few men in the audience, expected but disappointing..
If I think about the title of the event, I would have called it &ldquo;Feminist Urbanism - we know what it is and its long overdue&rdquo;, but working in urbanism, I have come to see that &ldquo;feminism&rdquo; still needs a soft introduction and many times, as in other discourse, people still consider it adversarial.
Councillor Bruce started the conversation strongly by saying that feminist urbanism is &ldquo;not just about [women] existing in space it&rsquo;s about thriving in space. We should start with what is strong vs what is wrong.&rdquo;
I appreciated the focus on thriving rather than just existing, as I believe cities do have the power to push people into opportunities and improve their life outcomes (as well as do the opposite).
Focusing on strengths and what works seems the right approach but sometimes we have to unpack if what is working is also relying on some power imbalances that are overall negative and counter the cause. Specifically, in urbanism it&rsquo;s important to ask - where does it work and how is that place the same or different to where you are, in the urban form but also in the demographics, the politics, the culture, etc?
The event raised the profile of an interesting project: &rsquo;<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/a_city_built_on_baskets_final.pdf">A City Built on Baskets</a>&rsquo; which is part of the Women Make Cities initiative, led by Freya Purcell, who is documenting and exploring how women street sellers in Edinburgh shaped the urban space in the 18th and 19th centuries. The project has highlighted many side benefits the street sellers brought to the city. For example, how street selling gave women the ability to earn a living without having to afford a shop but also, their mere presence sometimes acted as a contributing factor to others feeling safe. It&rsquo;s not the same thing, but it made me think back on some initiatives taken a few years back in Mexico City to clean up the &ldquo;vendedores ambulates&rdquo; &ndash; street sellers &ndash; in the very famous plaza of Coyoacan, and the way the place has not been the same. Informal economies can be a huge part of the blood that runs through city veins. I am very much looking forward to following this research project as it continues.
After the event, talking to other attendees, it was clear that there are a lot of people keen to come together and discuss this type of urbanism. One that includes and re-thinks the way our cities operate, in the path towards imagining a better way, a more equitable way to evolve them
To find out more about how and why we created Diagonal and our social purpose look&nbsp;<a href="https://diagonalworks.notion.site/Charter-Public-Copy-7641959989504a2ca6b8727a7d94ebd6">here</a>.

Architecture Fringe - Feminist Urbanism

You might have noticed some changes around here!
diagonalWorks is Diagonal&rsquo;s new name, and it accompanies a change in direction for the company. Our focus will now be purely on consultancy, rather than product development, and is accompanied by a new strategic direction and refined mission.
<h3 dir="ltr">What&rsquo;s new?</h3>
To date many places have been planned in ways that only serve a small section of the population.&nbsp;
Our consultancy seeks to support data-driven inclusive place strategy and design. Our work will continue to be underpinned by geospatial analysis tools we have built, to deliver transparent, repeatable and scalable place-based analysis.
Our new, strategic service offering includes:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Development impact analysis</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Strategic planning advice</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Inclusive urbanism exploration</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Bespoke urban analytics</li>
</ul>
We are excited to join a growing community of organisations determined to drive positive change and support places to become better for everyone, places which empower people to thrive. And we are confident in the new direction and new mission: to support more equitable urban environments for all.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Why now?</h3>
To quote the <a href="https://digital4planning.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/A-Digital-Future-for-Planning-Full-Report-Web.pdf">Digital Taskforce for Planning 2022 report</a>, &lsquo;We have now entered an era of &lsquo;digital by default&rsquo; and this is becoming increasingly true for built environment disciplines. The development of new digital platforms and recognition of the importance of data, enable a more holistic, inclusive and systems-based approach to spatial planning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Furthermore the new Labour government, in its &lsquo;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system">Proposed Reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system</a>&rsquo; has highlighted a commitment to &lsquo;universal coverage of strategic planning, which will require the development of Strategic Development Strategies (SDSs) across the whole of England. This will be informed by consultation with local leaders, the wider sector and include &lsquo;consideration of the capacity and capabilities needed such as geospatial data and digital tools.&rsquo; (MHCLG, 2024, Chapter 3 - para 26).
diagonalWorks combines geospatial and urban analytics skills with strategic planning expertise. We understand the power of technology and multidisciplinary approaches in order to support more holistic, transparent and auditable decisions. We are uniquely placed to support the growth of a digitally enabled spatial planning system.&nbsp;
In addition, we are keen to support the movement towards the delivery of more inclusive places and we can do that by using data, informed by research, to understand the potential impact of strategies and developments on different communities.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The team</h3>
Gala is diagonalWorks&rsquo; Urban Data Science lead, providing, among other things,&nbsp; data and urban analytics expertise. She co-founded Diagonal and has since been the main user (and tester!) of our open source geospatial computation engine, <a href="https://github.com/diagonalworks/diagonal-b6">b6</a>. Gala is currently <a href="https://geovation.uk/">Geovation</a> Scotland Entrepreneur in Residence and convenor of <a href="https://thegeomob.com/post/oct-1st-2024-geomobedi-details">Geomob Edinburgh</a> events.&nbsp;
Veronica&nbsp; is diagonalWorks&rsquo; Planning and new business lead, leveraging years of working across sectors on complex multidisciplinary briefs, to provide strategic planning advice. She is also a member of the <a href="https://www.theaou.org/">Academy of Urbanism</a>, sits on the Design West <a href="https://www.designreviewwest.org/">Design Review Panel</a> and is one of the organisers of Bristol&rsquo;s &lsquo;Rise Collective&rsquo; networking sessions (with pals from McGregor Coxall and Spratley + Partners).&nbsp;
Claire leads additional strategy and partnership development at diagonalWorks. She is currently based in San Francisco and serves as a non-executive director at&nbsp;<a href="https://walksf.org/">Walk SF</a>.&nbsp;
We would struggle to share our work and messaging without our communication lead Lucy&rsquo;s support. She is a writer and multi-hyphenate comms specialist and all-round wordsmith!
<h3 dir="ltr">Working with us</h3>
We are looking to continue to expand our networks and support projects with our combined expertise.&nbsp;
We would love to hear from you if you would like to discuss potential collaboration opportunities or to find out more about our work. You can&nbsp;<a href="http://hello@diagonal.works">email us</a>, book a call with <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ0DN0OqxswY_xTxVr-3sfx0Fo26bM4Ms6Q35G9RlSzOZQIOWJKL7lZJVCaI2utGe7twBgHv6YGd">Gala</a> or <a href="https://diagonal.works/meet/veronica">Veronica</a>, or meet us for coffee (location dependent!).

Welcome to diagonalWorks

Blog posts

We work globally. Let’s see what we can build together.

Let’s chat

<h1>What we do</h1>
We champion inclusive urban practices.&nbsp;We believe the impact of place is both on individual and collective identities and experiences.
We bring extensive experience working on complex, multi-stakeholder regeneration schemes and providing strategic planning advice.
We use and build open and sophisticated data and analytics technology, to deliver insights that are data-driven, transparent and actionable.

We help you understand the impact of your development on a particular area, irrespective of scale.&nbsp; We work with you to tease out parameters that matter most, in order to explore the impact of a project against policy, strategy and other requirements.

Development impact analysis

We help you to explore potential planning strategies, across one or multiple sites, in a repeatable, scalable and auditable way. We do this by pulling together relevant datasets to understand a place baseline, reviewing and interpreting policy considerations and constraints and understanding your priorities and needs.
At masterplan level, we support you in testing different design options based on parameters defined with you, community members and relevant stakeholders.

Strategic planning

Our team works with you to explore data-driven ways to embed inclusive urbanism into your strategies, informed by research, policy and stakeholder engagement.
By understanding your needs, we help you to identify ways to make your developments inclusive from the start. Our strength is in unlocking the possibilities in the quantitative data that is already available or finding ways to gather it.
Our process provides high-level, quantitative data-driven strategic direction that enables more focused qualitative work. We can then establish methodologies to collate all data to deliver truly holistic analysis.

Inclusive urbanism exploration

We reduce your overwhelm by workshopping the questions you have been trying to answer with data and developing a methodology to answer them.
We deep-dive into the data to identify gaps and propose new solutions, bringing all the data together, with code, to make the process repeatable and auditable. We analyse the data adopting an iterative approach, informed by your feedback, to make sure the final parameters and assumptions are clear and defendable. We deliver your results in formats your team is comfortable with, so you can demonstrate your thinking, including via interactive web maps and online reports.

What we do

Our services