By focusing on gender sensitivity as a cross-cutting issue in the Connective Cities project, the importance of integrating the gender perspective in all areas of urban development is highlighted.

In fact, cities should address the needs of all citizens. However, most cities function better for men than for women and girls and vulnerable groups. This affects many aspects of urban development, such as access to public space and municipal services, safety, health and sanitation, urban mobility, as well as housing, economic opportunities, and participation in urban planning processes.

In many of these key aspects of the urban environment and municipal organization, urban development practices often contribute to perpetuating or even reinforcing existing gender inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only relentlessly exposed these existing inequalities, but in many places has exacerbated them. In this context, cities can and should actively engage as actors for gender equality if they see themselves as starting points for social change.

Public open space is often not safe and lack maintenance

Green areas and public open spaces in the city are enjoyed by all genders, cultures and age groups and make an important contribution to the recreation and physical and mental health of the urban population. However, a lack of light and toilets in public spaces causes women to avoid many public places because they feel unsafe, and the infrastructure does not meet their hygiene needs. Yet a functioning community life and a democratic urban society can only prosper if public spaces are safe and functional and offer all citizens the opportunity to participate in public life. Therefore, in an Insight Session, we looked at possible strategies for safer public spaces in cities.

Separation of living and working quarters worsens economic opportunities for women

On average, women around the world are less likely to be employed than men. They are often kept out of the labor market by caring for children or the elderly, or they take on a double burden as a result. At the same time, women in the same positions still earn less than their male colleagues. Gender-sensitive approaches to promoting women's employment, such as in the Good Practices of the Training and Development Center for Women in the Hay Al-Andalus Municipality in Libya, are important elements in mitigating this.

In cities, however, urban planning in which living and working spaces are strictly separated makes it even more difficult to reconcile paid work, the provision of goods and services, and family care. The architecture of many cities thus contributes to the reproduction of existing economic inequalities. A positive example in this context is the city of Vienna, which has been drawing attention to itself for decades with gender-sensitive urban planning.

Affordable housing crisis particularly affects women

Another important gender dimension in urban planning is affordable housing. This is one of the most important current urban challenges for all genders. The cumulative effect of labor market segregation, more frequent part-time work, lower wages, and ultimately low pensions means that women on average have less disposable income for housing. Therefore, while the affordable housing crisis affects everyone, women are particularly hard hit.

Absence of women in planning

Many of the aforementioned and other problems of gender-responsive urban development stem largely from the absence of women, girls and sexual minorities in decision-making processes. The needs of different genders are thus not integrated into urban planning, and there is often a lack of awareness about different patterns of use of public space and public transport. An inclusive urban development must consider the needs of all. 

Increased awareness and good examples

At the same time, however, there is a growing awareness of the need to consider gender aspects for sustainable and inclusive urban development.

In recent decades, municipal professionals from academia and practice have begun to address how cities can be designed and planned to work well for all. They emphasize that physical structures of the city and the design of public spaces can help ensure equal rights and opportunities for a variety of groups.

Well-maintained multifunctional plazas and spaces, with a variety of amenities and plenty of room to linger, are enjoyed by all genders, cultures, and age groups. They are popular and lively; they are spaces of living urban community and thus also safe. Many "eyes" are not only more friendly than surveillance cameras; they are also more effective. Where this has been successfully implemented, the rate of violence drops massively - against girls and women as well as among male youth.

Women are more likely to move within their own and adjoining neighborhoods. They primarily walk, ride bicycles, or use public transportation for short distances. Women therefore need well-developed, sufficiently wide, barrier-free pedestrian and bicycle paths and a radial network of transport links that connects neighborhoods. However, this is still the exception rather than the rule. Here are 5 principles to empower women in transport.

Barcelona, a city governed by Mayor Ada Colau since 2015, shows how it can be done: What would a city designed by women be like? (short BBC report).

The example also shows that the participation of women in city parliaments and administration is very important. Around 130 countries have already introduced quotas for women in different regulations and at different levels. In these countries, the proportion of women in parliaments is demonstrably increasing. And studies show: At the municipal level, there is a clear correlation between a high proportion of women in city parliaments and city administrations and gender-sensitive urban development.

In general, girls and young women are the best experts when it comes to their daily reality. For example, the Swedish think tank Global Utmaning has vividly documented the results of the #UrbanGirlsMovement in the #UrbanGirlsCatalogue. It contains a variety of good practices and policy recommendations for including girls in urban planning.

As part of the Connective Cities-funded peer-to-peer consultations, several municipalities have collaborated to develop guidelines that can help other municipal stakeholders get started when it comes to gender-sensitive urban planning:

Guidelines:Towards a gender-sensitive urban development [pdf, 307 kb, 7 pp.]

Guidelines: Towards a gender responsive urban mobility [pdf, 337 kb, 8 pp.]

Find more useful resources on gender-sensitive urban planning here:

Cities for Girls, Cities for All | UN-Habitat

Gender Responsive Urban Planning and Design | UN-Habitat

COVID-19 and ensuring safe cities and safe public spaces for women and girls | UN Women

Harsh Realities - Marginalized Women in Cities of the Developing World | UN Women

Across eastern Europe, rethinking urban planning, infrastructure and safety bring changes in women’s lives | UN Women

A safe city for women and girls in El Alto, Bolivia | UN Women

Goal 11 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs | UN

International Women's Day 2023

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Photo header picture): Adrian Seliga | istock