The art of designing safe spaces: The inclusive safety toolkit

Talk

Tuesday 24 June 2025
08:30 - 09:30

Join us for this breakfast talk where we’ll discuss the art of creating safe spaces, and a new Inclusive Safety Toolkit.

This event is in association with The Earls Court Development Company.

Creating safe spaces that are accessible for all, requires nuance and understanding. It should involve diverse voices from communities, understand lived experience and take a broad perspective - as safety is something that affects many of us on a daily basis or from time to time.

At Earls Court, The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) has worked with ZCD Architects to create the Inclusive Safety Toolkit, an open-source resource aimed at demystifying the process of creating safe, welcoming new places.

Join this event to hear from speakers who specialise in inclusive design, alongside ECDC and ZCD, who will talk through their process of putting together the Toolkit.

https://www.earlscourt.com/

PROGRAMME

08:00 Arrivals

08:30 Welcome from the NLA
Raluca Racasan, Senior Account Manager, NLA

08:32 Welcome from the Chair
Manijeh Verghese, CEO, Open City

08:35 ECDC Inclusive Safety Toolkit
Dinah Bornat, Director, ZCD Architects
Rebekah Paczek, Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations
Laurence Neal, Design Manager, ECDC

08:50 Panel Discussion
Speakers above plus
Neil Smith, Chair of the Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP), London Legacy Development Corporation
Olaide Oboh, Executive Director, Socius
Natasha Trotman, ECDC Public Realm Inclusivity Panel
Elisabeth Petts

09:15 Q&A

09:30 End

Speaker biographies

Dinah Bornat

Co-Founder & Director, ZCD Architects

Neil Smith

Chair of the Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP), London Legacy Development Corporation

Rebekah Paczek

Director of Public Affairs, Social Impact and Community Relations, The Earls Court Development Company

Manijeh Verghese

Director, Sphere Spaces

Laurence Neal

Design Lead, The Earls Court Development Company

Olaide Oboh

Managing Director at Populate and Executive Director at Socius, Populate and Socius

Raluca Racasan

Senior Account Manager, NLA

Venue

The London Centre
3 Aldermanbury
London
EC2V 7HH

accessibility

There are two ways of entering the London Centre- either up 3 steps with a handrail on either side, or via a platform lift. There are gender-neutral and accessible toilets on the lower ground floor, which can be accessed via a flight of stairs or a lift. If you would like more information about the space, or have any further access requirements, please let us know how we can best accommodate these, by emailing events@nla.london.