Gender and Safety in

Spatial Planning

13AR60R01 RITA MINHAS
Contents

Gender and safety in spatial Planning
13AR60R01 RITA MINHAS

Introduction

Aims and Objectives

Methodology

Case studies

Inferences

References


Introduction
Gender and safety in spatial Planning
13AR60R01 RITA MINHAS
For most of human history, it
has taken the efforts of both
men and women, whether
working in the marketplace
or in the fields ,or homes , to
keep the family afloat.
Young or old ,women and men have
been complementing each other since
times immemorial.
If men were physically
strong, women were always
there to give them
emotional support in form
of mothers, wives, sisters
and vice versa
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Although earlier women were behind the
scenes, but with the onset of industrial
revolution parameters changed .
Gender safety has always been
an issue since the times of
Mahabharat and Ramayan.
Present times witness women
performing more challenging roles
than ever, managing work and
families.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Spatial planning includes land use, urban ,
regional ,transport and environmental ,
economic and community planning.
Land-use planning provides the spatial
setting for government policy , shaping the
way our towns and cities are designed.
Planning policy tends to ignore the fact
that women and men use public
space very differently.
Gender Equality ensures that both
women and men have equal access
to opportunities, resources, and
rewards towards promoting sustainable
human and national development
Role of Spatial Planning
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Aims and Objectives
To study the impact of gender inclusive planning.
To study the methods that help to provide equity to all citizens in all
spheres of spatial planning irrespective of gender.
To study of urban spaces with respect to gender based planning.
Methodology
To study role of genders in society.
Role of women in society across civilizations
Study for need of gender Inclusive Planning
To study gender inclusive planning approaches in India
To draw inferences with respect to the initiatives taken abroad
and in India.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Works by ancient Indian
grammarians such as
Patatanjali and Katyayana
suggest that women were
educated in the early Vedic
period.
In approximately 500 B.C., the status
of women began to decline with the
smritis (esp. Manusmriti ), and with
the Islamic invasion of Babur and the
Mughal empire and Christianity later
curtailing women's freedom and
rights
During ancient times, women
played an important role within
their homes; however, they way
they were viewed within their
homes and communities varied
greatly within each nation
The women in Babylon had few
personal rights and liberties. The
Egyptians saw families as a source
of happiness, giving the women a
more important role
Roles of women in ancient Rome
were to raise the children and take
care of the home.
Role of women in society across civilizations
Gender and safety in spatial Planning


The first phase, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, initiated when male
European colonists began to speak out against the social evils of Sati.


The second phase, from 1915 to Indian independence, when Gandhi
incorporated women's movements into the Quit India Movement and
independent women's organisations began to emerge.

The third phase, post-independence, which has focused on fair treatment of
women in the work force and right to political parity.
Three phases feminism in India :

Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Why is there any need for gender Inclusive Planning ?

Gender inclusive planning is important because it creates public
spaces where all users have equal opportunity to be healthy,
secure and happy..

It recognises that if women and girls avoid using certain public
spaces because they do not feel safe , these spaces will become
more insecure for women.

It promotes the right to the city and to citizenship for women and
girls as a condition for equitable and sustainable cities and
communities

To promote Safe public transit for women and girls


Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Women in India


1. 32% of the population lives below the poverty line
2. Women comprise 48.3% of Indias population but only 26.1% of employed
persons.
3.The number of girls per 1000 boys in the 0-6 age group have declined from 971
in 1981 to 914 in 2011.
4. 80% of rural women are engaged in agricultural production but only 9% own
land.
5. India has 1.3 million elected women representatives in local bodies,
exceeding the 33% percent reservation.
6. Only 10% of ministerial positions and 11% of seats in the Parliament are
occupied by women.
7. 39% of men and women think that it is sometimes or always justifiable for a
man to beat his wife.
8. Almost 2 out of 3 women reported facing incidents of sexual harassment
Between 2-5 times in the past year in New Delhi .

Sources: 1 -3: Indian Census 2011; 4a: Ministry of Rural Development; 4b: Indian National Sample Survey 2002;
5: Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs; 6-7: UN Womens Progress of the Worlds Women, 2011-2012; 8: Safe
City Free of Violence for Women and Girls Baseline surve
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Women in India


planning and designing according to the specific safety needs of women and
girls should exhibit the following characteristics:
Easy access to and from the location
Easy movement within the location
Good lighting so that users can see and be seen
Easy-to-read signs to help users find their way
Clear, well-kept paths where users can easily see each other
General visibility of the entire space, free from hiding places where a person
could wait unseen
Includes mixed uses many places to hangout, walk, play, eat, exercise, etc.
for diverse user groups at different times of day
Provisions for different seasons (shade in hot weather and protection in cold
weather)
Provisions for young children and the elderly (because women are often
caretakers), e.g. in urban areas this could mean low, wide sidewalks for strollers,
wheelchairs, and walkers, and areas with slow-moving traffic
Access to clean, secure, easily accessible toilet facilities with space for
changing childrens diapers
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Efforts made by UN in india



The five priority areas for UN Women in India are:

Expanding womens leadership and participation.

Enhancing womens economic empowerment.

Engaging women as global peace builders and mediators.

Making gender equality central to national development planning and
budgeting.

Ending violence against women and girls.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Preview of efforts done by NGO Jagori in India in collaboration with UNIFEM


JAGORI (AWAKEN, WOMEN) is a womens documentation, training and
communication centre established in 1984
Safe City Free of Violence Against Women and Girls a joint action research
initiative by Jagori, UNIFEM, UN Habitat along with the Delhi government
Mumbai and Kolkata are much safer than Delhi.
Delhi has been designed in a very American way.
Everything is oriented to accommodate the car.
After dark no part of Lutyens Delhi is safe for
women, although in the crowded areas of the Old
City things are far more secure. Any area that
caters only for single use and which has big
boundary walls makes one feel totally unsafe. most
of Delhis shopping areas even the new malls
dont rise from the streets like they do in many
European cities.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Preview of efforts done by NGO Jagori in India in collaboration with UNIFEM
The safety audit has been adapted to multiple settings and groups, carried out
jointly with local government representatives, and evaluated, such that this tool
is now internationally-recognized as a best practice.

There are three main principles which guide womens safety audits:

1) women are considered experts on their own environment and safety;

2) safety audits encourage local and context-specific solutions to issues of
insecurity;

3) safety audits promote partnerships and joint solutions between women and
their local governments.

Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Preview of efforts done by NGO Jagori in India in collaboration with UNIFEM
Benefits:
Changes to the physical environment to improve safety for women and the
community as a whole;
Changes in local programmes and policies that enhance their promotion of
safety for women and the community in general;
More skills and confidence for women who participate in audits;
Greater public awareness of womens safety issues (Lambrick and Travers,
2008). Safe Cities 51 February 2010

Process:
A womens safety audit starts with a group of women.
Unsafe spaces might include a shopping centre parking lot, a pathway between
residences, a water source, or a public housing development.
After the safety audit group has chosen an unsafe space, they go together to
that space and note the factors or characteristics that they think make it unsafe
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Preview of efforts done by NGO Jagori in India continued..


Safe city
Campaign
Market areas,
residential areas, transit
areas, and university
campuses are all
mapped
Safety
audit
Source :Safe Cities
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Jagori awakening people by using mass media


A dark street is more
prone to be a risky place .
Installation of sufficient
number of street lights
curbs the fear form
womens minds.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Preview of efforts done by NGO Jagori in India continued..


Public buses? Dont
step into them ever if
you want your sanity
and safety!
In Delhi nothing is
safe... not an auto, bus,
not even the metro!
Public transport was the most unsafe
place for women in the national capital.
Forty per cent people believed that
waiting for public transport was equally risky
Installation of CCTV cameras.
Basic infrastructure improvements
Permitting hawking platforms,.
Having shops rising from the footpath or pavement, you have a feeling of safety
because you feel there is activity on the edge.
Delhis shopping areas are designed with the presumption that people will be
driven to the shopping area whereas only 15 % of Delhis population drive
vehicles, 85 % of people walk
When foot activity increases, so does safety more kiosks in areas where people
wait for their transportation, for instance, in order to ensure eyes on the street

Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Initiatives dedicated to safe cities and communities worldwide



The concept of safe public spaces for women and girls gained popularity in
the 1970s.
Groups of North American women organized protest marches .
This experience was repeated in other cities, including several in Latin
America.
In Colombia, since 1999, the Office of the Mayor of Bogota declared March
8th Women's Night.
Since the mid-1980s, European cities have begun to address this issue.
These initiatives have been replicated in the Greater London Council, the City
of Manchester, Toronto and other North American cities .
UNIFEM is implementing several programmes on safe cities for women.
UNIFEM and UN-HABITAT have promoted the implementation of a global
programme on safe cities for women and girls, which is to carry out strategic
safe cities for women actions in different countries worldwide.
In partnership with UN-HABITAT, Delhi-based womens organization Jagori
produced a large-scale survey on womens safety .
Source :Safe Cities
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Findings for Transport Planners in Western Europe and North America














Poorly considered land-use zoning policy separates residential areas from
employment locations, with a greater impact on womens mobility.

Women make more complex journeys than men, often travelling to childcare,
school, work, and shops. More than twice as many women as men are
responsible for escorting children to school.

Seventy-five per cent of bus journeys are undertaken by women

Only 30 % of women have access to the use of a car during the daytime

Poor public transport and lack of caring facilities and shopping outlets near
employment locations restrict womens access to the labour market.

Women feel less safe than men being out alone after dark, especially in the
inner city, or social housing complexes.

Gender and safety in spatial Planning




Frauen-Werk-Stadt - A Housing Project by and for Women in Vienna
Austria

Case study
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Frauen-Werk-Stadt - A Housing Project by and for Women in Vienna
Austria


The housing project "Frauen-Werk-Stadt" is a first step to implement the everyday
experience and requirements of women on a larger scale.
Special attention was given to the flat layouts and space allocation for the
individual rooms. The intention is to have a number of even sized rooms which
do not force tenants to adopt prederteminated utilisation
A piece of the city will be
designed exclusively by
women architects and
planners as part of the
urban expansion program
in Vienna.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Another key objective of the model project
is to stimulate the public interest in and
visibilty of women planners and architects
On February 2nd a clear decision was taken in
favour of the master project submitted by
Franziska Ullmann
Gender sensitive approaches
359 housing units were constructed
along with other infrastructural
facilities: a kindergarten and a day
care nursery with four groups, a
doctor s surgery, a communication
centre ,a police station and 600 sq
m for shops
Rooms to store bicycles and prams
were situated on the ground floor
and easily accessible, the laundry
rooms were found on the roof
combined with a common roof
terrace.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Why is there any need for gender Inclusive Planning ?


INTERIOR
AND
EXTERIOR OF
THE BUILDING
STAIRCASE
RESIDENTIAL
AND
PLAYSTREETS
GARDEN
COURTYARDS
SQUARES
FLAT
Links
Only four units per storey to
avoid anonymity and to
enhance neighbourly
relations.

Staircases are transparent
and well-lighted to avoid
danger zones.

Staircases were usable as
pleasant places where
tenants could spend time
and communicate with
each other.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Few more Positives


Open-structured underground garage with natural lighting.
Ring-type garage situated below the apartment buildings was favoured.
Special attention was given to the kitchens as central places of housework
They are all large, provided with sufficient daylight and face the
courtyards or the play street.
Almost all flats are equipped with some individual open space , either
in form of a large terrace on the ground-floor or at least a balcony for
the other storeys.
Gender and safety in spatial Planning

Inferences



Creating public spaces with features that enhance womens safety and
feelings of safety, and detract from features that cause womens insecurity
and feelings of insecurity.

Safety planning and design also involves more than just the concrete,
physical features of a space public spaces are the setting for a myriad of
gendered social interactions.

Safe Public transport should ensure that they make multiple places and
destinations for diverse purposes. As a result, womens movement through
the city has been described as trip-chaining.

Safe public transit for women and girls should include improvisation of
motorized forms of transport. That is, well-maintained footpaths, pedestrian
streets, well-lit sidewalks, bicycle lanes and locking areas







Gender and safety in spatial Planning

References


1. www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/.../Sweet_How%20planning%20engages%20gende..

2. http://www.unwomensouthasia.org/assets/unw_electronic.pdf

3. http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail1236.html.

4. http://jagori.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/WFS-15.4.111.pdf

5. http://jagori.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IS-THIS-OUR-CITY.pdf

6. http://www.rtpi.org.uk/media/6338/GenderEquality-PlanMaking.pdf

7. http://mospi.nic.in/Mospi_New/upload/women_men_2011_31oct11.pdf
Womens safety is the single most important factor of better,
smarter cities.
If women do not feel safe, the city is unsafe. And this means
providing safety from the home and all those places in between
streets, parks, schools, neighbourhoods and other public spaces. It
must be a continuum from door to door, day and night.


It is unacceptable that millions of women, especially those living
in poverty, have to be on their guard every waking hour when
they venture outdoors anywhere.
Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka Under-Secretary-
General of the United Nations