The role of women in the culture of dwelling. Urban spaces at play in the projects of Jacoba Mulder and Marjory Allen of Hurtwood

Many are the women architects and urban planners who have contributed to the development of these disciplines throughout the Twentieth century, notably in the design and construction of domestic and urban spaces aimed at improving the daily lives and social relations of many citizens. The Dutch urban planner Jacoba Mulder and the English landscape architect Marjory Allen of Hurtwood did so in the second post-war period in Amsterdam and London, respectively, both engaging in the design for a new habitability of the public space, a space of the public that they wanted to make accessible to everyone, especially children and young people. Prominent figures in pioneering experiences, they had the opportunity to practice an interstitial planning capable of realizing safer and more liveable urban spaces. Today, their reinterpretation can inspire interesting insights into contemporary city design and wider general reflections on the culture of dwelling and the design competence of women. A competence that, be it “expert” or “common,” is able to make the public space more habitable for all.