This paper is conceived as an interface connecting the historical research undertaken by the FOSGUS project to the practice of designing cities. How can the methods and conceptual frameworks that are employed by historians inform and modify the strategies and techniques used by designers? And how can findings on the gendering of urban environments of the past help us address problems of social inequity in cities today? Departing from my own ambiguous position as a trained architect and a practicing historian, in this paper I will explore the liminal territory between historical research and spatial design. I argue that rather than being peripheral to the practice of ‘making’ cities, historical research offers the key to imagining and creating more equitable urban spaces.