Public toilets and urban equality : a systemic design approach to inclusive public space in Tallinn

Abstract

This thesis explores public toilet provision in Tallinn and its role in shaping equitable access to urban space, particularly for women and other disadvantaged groups. Using a systemic, participatory approach, the research investigated how the public toilet system could be improved to support inclusion, dignity, and spatial justice. The study combined a targeted literature review focused on public toilets with empirical methods including field observations, interviews, participatory workshops, and systems mapping.

The findings revealed a fragmented, uneven system characterised by inadequate distribution, poor maintenance, and widespread distrust. Public toilets were concentrated in tourist areas, while residential neighbourhoods, playgrounds, and everyday routes were left underserved. Participants described avoiding public toilets due to concerns about cleanliness, safety, and reliability, relying instead on private facilities or planning routes around trusted spaces. This avoidance contributed to a reinforcing cycle: underuse led to increased vulnerability to vandalism or informal use, prompting closures and further eroding public trust.

A systemic analysis showed that these gaps were not simply logistical, but reflected a deeper issue: public toilets were not recognised, cared for, or valued as essential civic infrastructure. Their absence and neglect had become normalised, sustained by patterns of avoidance, reactive management, and fragmented responsibility. Breaking this cycle requires a shift in mindset towards seeing toilets as a shared public good embedded in systems of care, trust, and collective responsibility.

To support this shift, the research proposed a set of interconnected interventions aimed at activating different leverage points in the system. Rather than offering a singular solution, they work across multiple levels 3 addressing infrastructure, information flows, trust, and cultural narratives 3 to open space for more inclusive, accessible, and equitable public toilet provision in Tallinn.