Picture this: you and your best friends decide to take a late-night trip into the city to grab some Insomnia cookies. Because you were harassed the last time you got on the bus, you decide to drive instead, which means waiting in traffic and making sure to lock your doors at every intersection. You and your friends opt not to park in the parking garage because it’s too dark, and anyone could be lurking in the shadows. So, you decide to take the risk and park in a “no parking” zone because you don’t want to pay 20 dollars for parking. You take out your pepper spray and taser because you know the streets are poorly lit on your way to Insomnia cookies. Chances are, if you’re a feminine-presenting person, of a non-male gender, or queer, you’ve made these decisions before. Your gender affects how you see and move through your city. You might not think that how you present to the world has any impact on how you navigate the city, but through the seemingly small decisions we make every day, it does.
What does it mean to design cities with gender in mind, or to create a “gendered” city? How can we ensure that every gender is protected, considered, and provided for?
What is gendered urban planning?
Urban planning or design, is often overshadowed by its artsy popular sister, architecture. But to understand what gendered urban planning is, we first need to understand what urban planning itself is. Urban planning is the practice of organizing how land, resources, and services are used in cities, with the goal of creating sustainable, livable, and attractive urban environments (Science Direct). A good way to think about it is that urban planning operates on the macroscale of a city, while urban design works on the microscale, focusing on specific blocks or streets.
WHy is it important? What does it look like?
The disparity in the allocation of public space is extremely apparent in many cities’ planning. According to the Mayor of Paris, Marion Waller, 95% of the space in large squares or schoolyards is used for activities like skateboarding and football matches (Evans). Studies conclude that males are more likely to continue using park spaces after a young age, while women tend to drift away from them. Sexual assault is another factor, as a lack of regulation in protecting non-male genders from harassment and mugging is prevalent in many cities (Partida). Building more feminine-associated sports areas and benches for socializing in the park can be a way to integrate different needs into public spaces (Partida). Additionally, ensuring that public spaces are well-lit and accessible to emergency services will help protect non-male genders from harm associated with parks.
The physical and spatial planning of cities is also often linked to work patterns. For instance, low-income women are more likely to commute in the early or late hours and work as street vendors. These routines may lead to an increased risk of sexual assault and transportation issues (Gender Issue Guide). LSE Blogs outlines a world where cities were designed for women and what that might look like:
- Well-lit streets, clear signage, public transport that accommodates strollers, youth, and the elderly.
- Wider sidewalks for safe passage, seating areas for rest and socializing.
- Parks designed with visibility and safety, and public facilities like sanitation and clean water readily available.
- Additionally, there would be greater investment in healthcare facilities and family support that address the needs of women and girls.
“Cities designed for women and non-males are not as simple as painting places pink,” says Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse, a consultant for gender-based inclusion in Berlin. It’s about anticipating the needs of a wide range of people and creating infrastructure that accommodates them (Safronova). But in order to do this, clear planning and resource allocation are needed to make it effective.
Current implementation
Cities all over the world are turning toward gender-inclusive or gender-focused planning. Barcelona has declared itself a “feminist city” and has made strides in gender justice through public transport planning. Vienna has reworked transport routes, public spaces, and conducted gender-sensitive assessments, all while including women’s groups in the planning process. Brussels recently held a contest for projects focused on gender-inclusive urban planning, funding six winning projects. Meanwhile, Paris has employed participatory entities to gain public input and has trained city staff and architecture firms on gender and inclusion (Jooste). Gender-inclusive cities are the future, as cities across America and the world are realizing that what once worked is no longer sustainable. The question is: are you ready for it?
References
“Urban Planning”. Science Direct.https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/urban-planning
Evans, Brian. “MAINSTREAMING GENDER INTO URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN”. Shift cities. 10 August 2022.https://www.shiftcities.org/post/mainstreaming-gender-urban-planning-and-design
Safronova, Valeriya. “The rise of gender mainstreaming in urban design”. The parliament magazine. 3 May 2023. https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/city-planning-gender-mainstreaming-urban-design
“Gender Issue Guide”. UN Habitat. Published 2012. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/download-manager-files/Gender%20Responsive%20Urban%20Planning%20and%20Design.pdf
Jooste, Tracy. Why cities designed for women work better for everyone. Blogs LSE. 5 July 2024. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/2024/06/05/why-cities-designed-for-women-work-better-for-everyone/Partida, Devin. “Improving Gender Equality with Urban Planning”. Planetizen. 10 April, 2023. https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/122531-improving-gender-equality-urban-planning