The Gendered City

Principles of #Feminist Conversational Spaces #Participatorydesign currently operates within a man-made system that has excluded diverse voices for far too long. This is why critically challenging the system itself is the first step toward feminist participation systems. Internalized misogyny and patriarchal structures often shape how #women express themselves, engage, and share their ideas. This is why transforming participation systems is essential to ensuring true feminist engagement and representation. https://lnkd.in/dhtVCVsF

Thrilled to be at Pakhuis de Zwijger this #WomensDay as part of the FEM Cities series! Kicking it off with The Gendered City book and diving into our work on #FeministCities, #WomenAfterDark, #FeministSystems, and #FeministSpatialDesign. I'll also be sharing an exclusive surprise about my upcoming book! ✨ chatting with Faezeh Mohammadi :) If you're in #Amsterdam on March 7th, let’s connect, I’d love to see you there! 💜 https://lnkd.in/dwt_cXUa

WOMEN AFTERDARK of The FEM. DES. Network of The Gendered City has been organizing #WomenAfterDark marches to amplify the voices of #urbanwomen and their experiences navigating cities at night. Through these events, we have been highlighting the significant challenges faced by women #cyclists in cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Paris, where many have been forced to give up their right to cycle after dark due to safety concerns. Happy to see this focus extending in #London. Experiences of women's after-dark #cycleway riding: "I rode this once after dark because I was desperate to get off the dangerous local roads, but I will never do it again. I felt so unsafe." "I couldn't see far enough ahead to avoid the dangers women fear in lonely places at night, and there is no way to escape." "I have given up cycling along the main part of the Greenway after dark" "I take a convoluted longer path instead which adds 15 minutes to my journey." "Most of my female friends around here only cycle in this area in the summer." "#Sociallyunsafe" is the term used for routes where there is a risk of harm from others due to factors such as poor lighting and a lack of escape routes. https://lnkd.in/ddPgighk

The Gendered City and Run Her Way are excited to announce a partnership dedicated to advancing running and #urbanhealth in the built environment. United by a shared commitment to #genderequality and promoting physical activity, we are working together to make public running environments safer, more accessible, and more inclusive for women and vulnerable groups. Did you know? Studies show that 92% of women feel unsafe while running, and two-thirds have faced harassment. Many change their routes, avoid running at night, or stop running altogether. Poorly designed public spaces, lack of awareness, and limited community engagement are contributing factors. Launching our first projects in the Netherlands, this collaboration aims to inspire global momentum for gender-equal cities where everyone has the right to move without fear. Stay tuned for upcoming projects as we join forces to create #healthier and more inclusive cities!

In The Gendered City Book, I explored the concept of #urbanpoverty, #feminisationofpoverty, highlighting how women make up the majority of the urban poor. This creates a cycle where #unpaidcare work restricts their opportunities, reinforcing economic and social inequalities. The root causes of women's poverty differ across countries but generally stem from three key factors: demographic composition, economic conditions, and government policies. The high prevalence of single-mother households contributes significantly to women's poverty, as they disproportionately shoulder the financial and caregiving responsibilities of raising children. This adds to a cycle where women remain significantly underrepresented in governments and city administrations worldwide because of the increasing dominance of #economiccapital has further concentrated political power among elites, reducing opportunities for decision-makers from disadvantaged backgrounds compared to forty years ago. A gendered perspective on urban poverty focuses on the importance of non-monetary factors, such as time poverty, while also addressing broader issues of equality and social justice. Full article https://lnkd.in/d2yaCR7r

Why is our work at The Gendered City #Transdisciplinary? The Gendered City operates with a transdisciplinary approach to urban planning, development, and social justice, placing a strong emphasis on gender inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and community-driven action With #ProcessGuidelines that are flexible we seek adaptable actions and strategies can be applied across all stages of urban development projects. With 1- Establishing #GenderPrinciples that intersect with environmental, social, and economic perspectives, recognizing the diverse needs of communities while promoting intersectional approaches to urban design. 2-Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning through continuous learning and feedback loops through data collection and evaluation processes. 3-Deep #communityinvolvement through incorporating diverse knowledge systems, encouraging cross-disciplinary dialogue, and amplifying the voices of women, girls, and gender minorities in all phases of urban design. Horizontal and vertical stakeholders, ensuring a multi-dimensional, #transdisciplinary approach. Horizontally, we collaborate across disciplines urban planning, environmental justice, public health, mobility, and sustainability to create integrated, intersectional solutions. Vertically, we engage stakeholders at multiple levels, from grassroots community organizations and local governments to national policymakers and international bodies Know more Here! https://lnkd.in/dR2vaKbM

⚪ 🟣 Last day to apply!! Join the world’s first and fastest-growing network of feminist design experts! As a FEM. DES. Network Director or Co-Director, you’ll collaborate on The Gendered City projects alongside the global network, all working toward a shared goal: making #feministcities, #design, and #systems the norm. This is an opportunity to shape the future of urban design through feminist values; respect, authenticity, empowerment, positionality, and inclusivity, while embracing the #diverse, #nuanced meanings of #feminism. Together, we’re building a new era of feminist urban design and practice.

Yesterday, in my Gender Theory in Architectural and Urban Design course I am teaching this semester, I had the privilege of inviting Hans Karssenberg as a guest lecturer. Hans is one of the few people who continuously inspire me, teaching me many inspiring lessons about true #communityparticipation, #placemaking, #urbananthropology, ..... the list goes on and on. In this course, we are exploring urban vulnerability and how communities experience and navigate their environments. Our goal is to reimagine a feminist and gender-equitable future through spatial analysis and design. For this, I have chosen the Kolenkit neighborhood in #Amsterdam as our home for the next few months. We will immerse ourselves in its streets, engaging directly with the community to understand its realities, beyond statistics and indexes questioning its reputation as Amsterdam’s “worst” neighborhood. Through this process, we aim to develop alternative scenarios for equitable futures, challenging conventional urban narratives and envisioning a more #inclusive, #just, and #participatorycity. Thanks to Anna Gasco and Academie van Bouwkunst Amsterdam for enabling this explorative theme and for Stichting Aminah for hosting us in the kolenkit and doing incredible work with women's communities.

Exploring #FeministPlay A Framework for Learning from the “#FeministPlayground” Rather than following a linear path, it functions as an interconnected system of feedback loops. The Gendered City developed a framework for understanding participation in creating a feminist playground in a gendered city filled with playgrounds that keep being exclusive. From Sense-Making Through Collective Understanding to a Dynamic #Ecosystem of #FeedbackLoops. This framework for feminist play is not a static or linear process but a vibrant system of interconnected feedback loops. Each element learning, sense-making, sharing, and collaboration adapts and responds to the others, creating a self-sustaining cycle. This adaptability ensures continuous evolution and improvement, fostering curiosity, empowerment, and collective growth. The Full Framework Here https://lnkd.in/daZyu2dx https://lnkd.in/dgvBnh-U

#InnovativePlaygrounds for the Feminist Right to Play At The Gendered City we are on a journey of a Playful feminist Innovation. Good #playgrounds designs can help us shape learning and innovation into something more like the natural social magnets of good playgrounds, rather than isolated elements that sit unused and unloved. Playgrounds, when thoughtfully designed, serve as microcosms of inclusion, collaboration, and creativity. They are spaces where people of all ages and abilities can interact, learn, and innovate together. Feminist approaches to #play challenge traditional norms and prioritize inclusive, equitable spaces where everyone can experience joy, creativity, and connection. How the feminist right to play can reshape our cities? We are reimagining #innovativefeministcities https://lnkd.in/dgvBnh-U