Gender and the City- Creating the Change

India is presently witnessing one of the largest urban transformations of the century. Urbanisation is as much a social process as it is an economic and spatial one, therefore, our cities must reflect the aspirations and concerns of its citizens. The diversity of people across ethnicities, caste, class, religion and gender in an Indian city must be represented in contemporary urban strategies so that our cities are humane and nurturing towards multiple needs. Particularly viewed from a gender lens, planners have largely sought a universalizing approach towards ‘people’, though men and women navigate and occupy the city space differently.

A discussion around the need to claim a legitimate gendered space within the social construction of the city has happened in an earlier webinar. In this webinar, we want to highlight the multiple examples of how this gender lens can change outcomes through design, planning and policy making in different cities in India and abroad. We will focus on a broader definition of women’s engagement as equal citizens, going beyond the fear of violence and sexual harassment towards the study of neighborhoods, housing, public spaces, transport systems, work places, places of leisure and urban life in general. What has changed because of nuanced interventions in these cities for women and what can we learn from these examples.

This webinar is organised by Akshara Centre and anchored by Dr Nandita Shah with support from Shimul Jhaveri Kadri and Madhavi Desai.