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Public spaces are where the public life of the city is played out and civic identity is defined. A city that is attractive and accessible to everyone offers a better quality of life for residents and visitors and the conditions for long-term economic growth. Evidence shows that women and men exhibit different behaviours in public space based on gender norms. Urban planning, design, and place-making have gender perspectives and a city s physical structure can either reflect and amplify existing societal inequalities or create more equal environments.

There are well-documented positive impacts of taking gender and diversity into account in planning urban environments. Gender-responsive approaches improve accessibility and security and positively influence socialisation and integration. These benefits can be achieved at all levels, from master-planning to simple place-making interventions. URBACT networks on place-making, CityCentreDoctor, iPlace and RetaiLink, have used place analysis and observation tools in order to design more equal spaces. The results included new infrastructure such as better lighting, green areas and new types of seating, as well as co-created social activity, festivals, cultural, food and sports events in high streets, parks and city centres that are inviting to all community members. Other examples include:

Husby Stockholm (Sweden)57: a feminist approach to urban planning is bringing fresh ideas. Aspern SeeStadt, Vienna (Austria)58: building awareness of gender-sensitive design and

co-creating with women, girls and diverse communities. Genre et Ville (France)59: animating public spaces with activity that encourages residents of all

ages, genders, ethnic groups to enjoy, linger and share.

6A. URBAN PLANNING

57 Kentish, B. (2017) Swedish suburb redesigned to be more feminist , Independent, available at: https:// www.independent.co.uk/news/swedish-suburb-husby-stockholm-redesigned-more-feminist-urban- planninggender-a7669411.html

58 Aspern, Die Seestadt Wiens, see at: https://www.aspern-seestadt.at/en 59 Genre et Ville Plateforme d Innovation Urbaine, see at: http://www.genre-et-ville.org/

Diverse aspects of urban planning can have unexpected effects on how different genders perceive and experience the city and how they use or avoid spaces within it. Lack of accessibility, such as dropped kerbs and sufficiently long pedestrian crossing lights, disproportionately affect women, who make up a larger proportion of the elderly population and are also significantly more likely to be pushing a pram or accompanying a child or elderly relative. Designing for mixed use through the day and for active use both on weekdays and weekends can create spaces which feel welcoming and safe; sufficient lighting and good visibility, in particular in enclosed spaces, can also make a significant contribution to subjective feelings of safety. Umeå s URBACT Good Practice, the GenderedLandscape, demonstrates through the example of the redesign of a station tunnel

exactly what aspects come into consideration when one approaches urban development from a gendered perspective. Equally, concepts such as the fifteen-minute city and traffic calming such as the Netherland s woonerfs or Barcelona s superblocks promote the more efficient combination of paid work and care work by shortening travel times and creating safe environments for pedestrians and cyclists and for children to explore more independently. During the Covid-19 pandemic, public space became the focus of social life, which raised new questions about equity and accessibility. The pandemic allowed cities like Berlin (Germany) to test out new, temporary interventions such as pop-up bike paths, temporary play streets and traffic calming in residential neighbourhoods to support families and sustainable transportation.