Within the series of lectures “New views, perspectives and research on gender theory” of the Study and Research Group for Gender Equality and Public Policy of the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, Dr. Mirjana Dokmanović, the member of this Group, gave an online lecture on ” Urban Planning from A Gender Perspective” on December 7, 2022.
In her presentation, the lecturer argued the importance and need to gender mainstream in urban, spatial and residential planning, which has not yet become part of the common practice. As a rule, these sectors are considered gender neutral, as they do not take into consideration gender differences and assume that women and men do use public space, infrastructure and transport in the same way.
The result of this approach is that urban environments generally do not sufficiently respect the specific needs of women based on their reproductive role and mobility patterns, do not allow them to increase economic opportunities and do not provide protection from gender-based violence.
On the other hand, gender-responsible urban planning takes into account who and in what ways uses urban space, transport and infrastructure related to education, health care, workspaces, culture, sports and recreation (green spaces, parks, promenades, playgrounds, etc.). Gender-responsible urban planning also takes into account the possibilities of access to public space, infrastructure and housing according to various social and social factors (e.g. gender, age, employment, financial status, disability, etc.), as well as the specific needs of socially vulnerable groups (children, elderly, young married couples, Roma population, elderly households, single societies, etc.). In addition, it is important that women participate equally in the planning and design process, which is not the case now.
The good practices of European cities that have integrated a gender perspective into urban and transport planning (Vienna, Berlin, Malmö) confirm that gender-sensitive policies benefit everyone. The quality of everyday life of all citizens has been increased, while respecting their differences and specifics. The effects also include increasing women’s mobility, competitiveness and employment opportunities, harmonization of family and professional responsiblities, improvement of public transport and transport infrastructure, and greater environmental protection.
Dr. Dokmanović also presented the results of gender analysis and research in this sector in Serbia, which confirm the gender blindness of this sectoral policy, on the one hand, and the need for gender mainstreaming, on the other hand, in order to make cities and settlements safer, more attractive and environmentally sustainable. The lecturer also pointed out that gender mainstreaming in urban planning opens up spaces for new research, such as, for example, the effects on the transformation of gender regime, on neoliberalism and the power of the market. There are also spaces for new research from the perspective of different feminist theories (liberal, radical, socialist, ecofeminism, etc.). The researchers who participated in this online event in their discussions confirmed the importance of this topic as well as the need to integrate gender perspective in public policies in Serbia.
