- improve the position of women in relation to planning, architecture and urban design issues
- provide an opportunity for women to share experiences of barriers and good practice
- promote feminist, inclusive thinking in planning, architecture and urban design
Locating sex work: red light
districts, hot zones and safe
places for women
1:30-5:30 18 February 2009
Sex work is both highly visible and yet hard to locate in the city. Where sex work takes place is also central to debates about the safety of sex workers and the legalisation of prostitution. Following research and recent events that demonstrate the continued risks associated with prostitution and other sex work, this seminar focuses on the role of the built environment in the lives of sex workers and debates about the legalisation of prostitution.
Places for sex work do not feature in plans for business improvement districts, yet lap dancing clubs and brothels are now routinely found in business areas. The growth of lap dancing and other clubs on main roads and close to business premises makes the commodification of women’s bodies an everyday and highly visible part of urban life. Zoning is an urban design tool used in planning business, leisure and residential districts, but economic imperatives associated with zoning may have unforeseen consequences, such as massage parlours regulated as businesses, not as brothels.
At the same time, less visible sex work proliferates in residential locations, both in the inner city and the outer suburbs. If working the street feels safer than a residence with only one entrance and exit, we need to find safer places for sex work. Health and safety for sex workers is vital but the assumed safety of sex indoors is a myth (Bindel J, Guardian 10 Sept 2008).
Sex work in London is both urban and suburban, highly visible and yet hidden behind closed doors. This seminar asks:
- Do the places for sex in the city make a difference for sex workers?
- Can we prevent violent crime towards women by providing safe places for sex work?
- Would legislation of prostitution protect sex workers or further normalise the trade in women’s bodies?
- Catherine Stevens of the International Union of Sex Workers,
- Denise Marshall, Chief Executive of the Poppy Project,
- Sandrine Levêque, Object,
- Dr Teela Sanders (Sociology, University of Leeds) and Professor Phil Hubbard (Geography, Loughborough University).
Speakers included: