Planning for Inclusive Public Space

The queer right to the heteronormative city is underexplored in urban planning and design discourse. Literature and policy concerning queering public space in Taipei, Taiwan, is limited. This queer research gap provides a basis to analyse the challenges and opportunities to planning and designing inclusive-queer public spaces. Through in-depth interviews, this Case Study examines how LGBTQ+ individuals perceive and experience public space to determine what inclusive-queer public spaces look like in Taipei City. By privileging the queer voice, the study highlights the value of diverse perspectives from overlapping and fluid identities across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. The study found that inclusive-queer public spaces are sites for queer intimacy, comfort and safety. The research also discovered that public spaces are sites of discomfort, fear, avoidance, discrimination and harassment for LGBTQ+ individuals. These findings suggest that urban planners and designers can play a role in creating queer-friendly cities by acknowledging issues raised by the LGBTQ+ community, such as the need for gender-neutral restrooms, as opportunities for change.