The digital crowd-mapping project will rely on anonymous contributions from women and gender-diverse people to identify places where they have felt unsafe.
The YourGround NSW project, launched on Wednesday, asks participants to identify public places and transport hubs as either safe or unsafe, including those where they have felt excluded.
The locations are then pinned on a map with contributors asked to fill out a short survey.
We are live in NSW! Women and gender diverse people - we want to hear about your experiences of feeling safe or unsafe in public. Go to — YourGround NSW (@YourGroundMap) https://t.co/Y5w3dPZ2yc to participate!@YourGroundMap @Crowd_Spot @MonashUni @MonashADA @XYXLab @TransportforNSW @facsnsw @HannahTonkinWSC pic.twitter.com/JioZcCVVuiNovember 14, 2023
Submissions captured so far reveal dozens of crowd-sourced entries across metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW.
Many contributors refer to feeling unsafe on poorly lit streets and at certain public-transport hubs.
Blacktown train station in Sydney's west has poor lighting and visibility listed as security concerns.
"I feel trapped here," one entry reads.
An entry from Yamba in the Northern Rivers reads: 'I was walking home from town with my friends at night and we started to feel really unsafe, particularly when a car slowed down then followed us for a bit."
Others detail more positive experiences at various locations.
Henson Park at Marrickville in Sydney's inner west is listed as "a great big park with strong community vibes" where "everyone is welcome".
The project was funded under the NSW government's $30 million Safer Cities Program and developed in partnership with the NSW Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin, the Department of Communities and Justice and Transport for NSW.
It follows earlier findings from the transport department's 2023 NSW Safer Cities Survey which found 59 per cent of women felt unsafe most or all of the time in public spaces after dark compared with 32 per cent of men.
Of the 5500 survey respondents, 74 per cent of women said they would walk more if they felt safer and 67 per cent would catch public transport more often.
Dr Tonkin said everyone had a right to feel safe and welcome on the state's streets and at parks and beaches.
Women's Minister Jodie Harrison said women and gender-diverse people tended to feel less safe in public.
"That perception can often impact their movements and opportunities to participate in the community," she said.
"(It) may cause them to change their behaviour, such as avoiding using public transport or certain spaces altogether."
The project is focused on public spaces such as streets, parks, walkways, and areas surrounding train stations and bus stops.
Submissions for the project will be taken until February 8.
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