It can be tempting to believe that we plan and build cities neutrally, yet research has shown that places are used by different people at different times of the day, and that some people use public spaces less than others. When we put on a gender filter it becomes clear that women often don¿t feel safe in public spaces and use it less. The key to plan a gender equal city is to gender mainstream the whole process.
Gender mainstreaming is about integrating a gender equality perspective in every decision, on every level in the public sector. Gender mainstreaming is based on that we know what the current situation looks like, set goals for how we want it in the future, and evaluate the progress of these goals. There are many tools in order to measure the progress and we have collected them all for you.
In the process of urban planning, details are mixed with long-term urban development. This complexity may be one reason why there has been no easy way to include gender equality in the design of cities and public places . With MethodKit for equal sites, which caters to both architects, city planners, politicians and citizens , we need not start from square one , without creating equality within a specific assignment from a well thought out framework.
