Susan Leadbetter

Principal Consultant at WSP | United Kingdom

Susan Leadbetter is a transport consultant and specialist in Gender Sensitive Design (GSD) who uses design reviews and end user engagement to understand the gender-based challenges presented in our cities. Her award-winning research into safety perceptions of women and girls on public transport led to the creation of Transport for London’s anti-sexual harassment campaign. In her role at engineering consultancy WSP, Susan equips colleagues and clients with the knowledge, training, resources, and tools needed to implement GSD effectively at every stage of the design process. This way, she ensures their projects are fully inclusive and responsive to the needs of diverse user groups. By sharing insights, Susan’s ambition is to raise awareness of the lived experiences of women, girls, and other gender diverse people and about GSD's importance in crafting safer, more accessible transportation systems. At Urban Future, you will hear from her how diverse people use, feel, and interact within different spatial contexts. “Through this, I hope to inspire, empower, and change the way that city planners and design professionals consider gender within their day-to-day work.”