Designers push to make cities more female-friendly by Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY
Let me just post some quotes from the article.
". . . the broken walkway on North Sloan Street [Philadelphia] symbolizes some of the physical challenges that women in America's cities face: an unsafe urban environment that's not conducive to walking."
"Health scientists are joining urban planners and targeting the specific effects that the layout and design of streets, houses and transportation systems have on women."
". . . That means fixing sidewalks, lengthening the time traffic signals give pedestrians on crosswalks, designing housing without stairs and encouraging walking, biking and mass transit by building trails and safe access to public transportation."
"Decisions that are made for women are going to be made for men as well," says Eugenie Birch, chairwoman of Penn's department of city and regional planning. "But there might be more sensitivity to safe places, to lighting, to creating an environment that women would more likely inhabit."
Ok, is it me or what? I am just not sure I get it. The article points out that more women are living in cities. And more older adults are now women who live alone. Ok, I get that. But don't urban man want safe places with better lighting and an availability mass transit? Why is "better lighting" making it female-friendly and not just urban-friendly? Of course this could get in to a conversation of gender neutral spaces, masculine space, queer space . . .
(Sorry this wasn't Cincinnati specific but I thought it was interesting and relevant.)
Photo by Eileen Blass, USA Today
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5 comments:
Making housing without stairs and lengthening traffic signals so people can get across the street sound more like things my grandmother needs than things my wife needs.
If that's the way you make things better for pedestrians in general, let's use the same twisted logic here. I'm for whatever changes the anti-pedestrian mindset at City Hall.
(Who wants to join me in a campaign to eliminate the cushy council parking lot at Ninth and Plum?)
I saw that story a long time ago on cooltownstudio.com. They have a number of related stories, such as how to tell if a neighborhood is safe. (observe the number of women)
Women tend to have higher public safety needs (especially at night) than men do.
I didn't read the USAToday story but I think they have a valid point. Attract the women and the men will follow, kind of like ladies night at a bar.
Why don't we just replace the word "women" with "pedestrian?" Then, I agree with everything said.
^5ch4r7z, love the analogy!
Women tend to be much more aware of safety issues than men. If you can make women feel safe, men will feel safe.
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