Cities all over the world are proof enough that women and men experience as well as use the city differently. These differences have to be taken into account for there to be equal access to the city for both the men and women. Equal treatment is not the same as treating people like men. Aside from men, there are also women, boys and girls who are not necessarily white or able bodied or even middle-aged as assumed by city hall when making development plans. Therefore, it is clear that the assumption by city halls in their development plans, that what works for men works for everyone, is false and most of the time puts the other people at a disadvantage (Perez, 2016).
In the transport sector, planners should build bus stops as well as create a conducive area for both men and women to feel comfortable as they travel. For instance, Perez (2016) identifies majority of women prefer to use public transport or walk while the men prefer to drive. She further adds that the priority of the city hall to clear roads was a form of prioritizing the mode in which men chose to travel since it was easier to drive a car through 10 cm of snow than to walk through it. As a result, the city shifted their way of clearing snow to focus on pavements as well as cycling paths that were mostly around schools. Furthermore, city lights should also be incorporated to make traveling at night safer for women. The sidewalks should be widened for better navigation of narrow streets. Additionally, big staircases with ramps should be added near intersections so as to facilitate those with wheelchairs, walkers and strollers.
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The public parks are places that both men and women, rich or poor, old or young are meant to visit and relax. However, Foran (2013) explains that a survey that was carried out in Vienna found that there was a huge reduction in the number of girls that visited the park after the age of nine. The reason behind this reduction was that the girls did not like parks as they had to compete for space with the boys, which they obviously lost as are less assertive. The city redesigned the parks as a response to the survey. The new parks contained different courts that encouraged a variety of activities. Furthermore, large open areas were divided into smaller spaces that were semi-enclosed. These changes resulted in an increased number of girls in the park since they did not have to compete for space with boys.
By nature, women spend more time on childcare and household chores per day as compared to men. Majority of the urban housing complex however, fail to recognize this notion. However, a group of planners came up with Women-Work-City project which was an idea that was meant to mainstream urban houses. This project comprises of a series of apartments that are surrounded by courtyards. The courtyards are filled with circular grassy areas where parents and children can spend time outside without having to travel a longer distance from home. The apartments also have an on-site pharmacy, kindergarten as well as doctor’s office. To top it all off, the apartments are also close to public transit thus making it easier to get to different places in a short time. The uniqueness of this project is that the project uses the space to identify the needs of the people then provide technical solutions to those needs.
In conclusion, although there has been significant changes to accommodate both genders in the city’s development plans, especially in the above mentioned areas, there is still room for more to be done. More street lights that light throughout the night still need to be put up for security reasons. In addition, more houses and public parks that are affordable and recognize the gender difference also need to be put up. It is only through recognizing the difference in how the genders view the city that true development which is not biased will take place.
References
Foran, C. (2016, October 21). How to Design a City for Women. Retrieved from https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2013/09/how-design-city-women/6739/
Perez, C. C. (2016, May 25). “What works for men doesn’t work for everyone”: why cities need to start planning with women in mind | CityMetric. Retrieved from https://www.citymetric.com/politics/what-works-men-doesn-t-work-everyone-why-cities-need-start-planning-women-mind-2123
