Her City: Urban Streets Where Women Can Live Without Fear

Figure 1. Back View of Women Walking on a Street (Igonkin, no date).

Women experience cities differently from men. Despite the fact that women make up half of the population. Urban design often ignores women’s perspectives, which makes women face many issues in urban life, such as safety. How to design cities that work for women is an issue we need to consider urgently.

Challenges facing women in cities

Figure 2. Woman alone on the street at night (Eldinhoid, 2020).

Some 4.5 billion people, or 55 per cent of the world’s population, live in urban areas, and 50 per cent of the world’s population are women and girls. Although women make up half of the world’s urban population, they are not taken into account in urban design.

In 2021, UN Women National Committee UK release a report: only 3% of 18-24 year-olds had told us they weren’t being harassed. Nearly nine out of ten women in some cities around the world feel unsafe in public spaces. A charity- Forgotten Women shows that one third of women globally do not have enough toilets. IUCN’s data reveals that in 2020, women held 15% of top jobs as ministers of environmental sectors.

Benefits of designing an urban street that is safe for women

Figure 3. Crossing street with a stroller (CMAP, not date).

Women may be hyper-aware of male strangers because of frequent violence and sexual harassment against women.  However boosting women’s safety in the city doesn’t mean putting the other gender in opposition, instead it can be beneficial for all people. “Designing cities that work for women will make cities safer, healthier, more vibrant and more pleasant to live in for everyone (ARUP, no date).”

How to create urban street that are safer for women?

Figure 4. Women in the city (Hershorn, no date).

Women are more sensitive to safety issues. The sexes are more sensitive to safety issues. The subjective feeling that public spaces are not really safe can lead affected people to stop using them or even to abandon travel. Safety in streets and public spaces should therefore be a central concern of gender equality planning. The key starting point for all related efforts should be the subjective feeling of safety.

Some of the principles and methods for enhancing the sense of safety in the streets are as follows:

• clear boundaries: there must be clear boundaries between public and private spaces
• Eyes on the street: Buildings and windows should face the street.
• Lighting improvements: Increase lighting in areas such as streets and public spaces to improve the sense of safety at night.
•  Open views: reduce hidden corners of the street and increase visibility.
• Accessibility: Ensure that facilities such as pavements, bus stops, etc. are friendly to pushchairs, wheelchairs, and other assistive devices.
• road design: design spacious footpaths and cycle lanes to reduce the risk of traffic accidents.
• Technological interventions: careful design of wayfinding systems (e.g. lighting, pavements, landscaping and signage) and integrating them with technology.

As well as to ensure that gender-diverse community members are involved in the decision-making process at all stages of urban planning.

Conclusion

Women’s needs and experiences are often overlooked in current urban design. This is despite the fact that women make up half of the urban population. In order to create more inclusive and safe urban environments, we need to revisit and redesign urban spaces from a gender perspective. Designing women-friendly city streets is not only an important step towards gender equality, but also an effective way to improve the overall quality of urban life. By focusing on the unique needs and experiences of women, we can create safer, friendlier and more harmonious urban environments.

References:

Cities alive: Designing cities that work for women (no date) Arup. Available at: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/cities-alive-designing-cities-that-work-for-women (Accessed: 12 March 2024).

New Data reveals slow progress in achieving gender equality in environmental decision making (2022) IUCN. Available at: https://www.iucn.org/news/gender/202103/new-data-reveals-slow-progress-achieving-gender-equality-environmental-decision-making (Accessed: 12 March 2024).

Improving traffic safety in Northeastern Illinois (no date) CMAP. Available at: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/programs/safety (Accessed: 19 May 2024).

Safe spaces now (2023) UN Women UK. Available at: https://www.unwomenuk.org/safe-spaces-now/ (Accessed: 12 March 2024).

Kalms, N. et al. (2023) Urban planning has long ignored women’s experiences. here are 5 ways we can make our cities safer, Route Fifty. Available at: https://www.route-fifty.com/infrastructure/2023/11/urban-planning-has-long-ignored-womens-experiences-here-are-5-ways-we-can-make-our-cities-safer/392113/ (Accessed: 19 May 2024).