Building Vibrant and Equitable Cities

A Gender Perspective

As Women’s History Month and the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68) comes to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the significant role that women and gender-nonconforming individuals have in building vibrant and equitable cities.

When cities embrace the diversity of their residents and fully dive into the nuances of residents’ realities and lived experiences, it opens the door for new opportunities of how cities define and view spaces. Diversity is what makes cities vibrant and is the key to making them thrive. This led me to remember some important lessons about what it means to integrate a gender lens into my ethos of work.

There are big gains when a gender lens is integrated in the design of communities, districts, and corridors. Inequity and isolation don’t only impact an individual outcome in life but also heavily impacts a city’s ability to thrive or die, from Jane Jacobs, a prominent urbanist, The Death and Life of Great American Cities where she emphasizes that, “A rich mixture of activities in buildings of varying age and character is necessary for constant use at different hours, is what creates lively and vibrant neighborhoods.”

Access is an important ingredient to develop community bonds and social cohesion. Having multi-use spaces of business, residential, services, green space, art, and activities at various times of the day and night that are tailored to the lived realities of youth, adults, and older adults of different genders has a harmony effect that leads to social-cohesion and increased sense of safety.

Let’s not underestimate the role that our local señoras and dog walkers have. Our built environment has an impact on how we move, engage, and contribute. “Eyes on the street,” is how Jane Jacob described it. This dynamic fosters a sense of vigilance, community bonds, safety, and social interaction that contributes to the overall well-being and vitality of urban areas. If women and gender-nonconforming individuals don’t feel safe in urban spaces, it’s not safe for anyone.

Support for entrepreneurship is a topic that most agree on. Let’s make sure that everyone who is interested has the opportunity to start and grow a business. Providing business opportunities in the form of support via capital and navigational assistance to women, women of color, and to gender-nonconforming individuals can transform the type of business that exists and how businesses are run. Being intentional about how spaces are curated goes a long way. Not only is this good for business but provides its users a sense of belonging. Having a wide range of operating hours, recreational, and cultural activities ensures that everyone gets to enjoy their city.

Farmers’ markets and activities (that usually occur during the day and weekend) during the evening and weekdays provide the opportunity for everyone to enjoy their urban spaces. As Rose Schneiderman, a Feminist laborer leader, stated, “What every woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist — the right to life as the rich woman has the right to life, and the sun and music and art. You have nothing that the humblest worker has not a right to have also, the worker must have bread, but she must have roses too.” Schneiderman’s early 20th century remarks still hold true today. A vision of self-worth and life pleasures for the worker. If the laborer can’t enjoy the fruit of what cities can offer, it’s not accessible.

When women and gender-nonconforming individuals are blocked from access to public spaces and from economic opportunities the whole community is negatively impacted. This year’s CSW 68 reaffirmed that the promotion and protection of and respect for fundamental freedoms of all women and girls, including the right of development and participation, are universal, interdependent, and interrelated. Here at Civic Confidence we support that concept and include gender-nonconforming individuals in that statement.

This publication was written by Alma Castro, the Founder of Civic Confidence LLC. Our publication series is dedicated to highlighting projects that we’re involved in, to celebrate and elevate its colleagues, and to discuss in community our interests and areas of expertise. Civic Confidence is a consultancy firm that provides government and organizations the added boost needed to get important work done. Clients who seek us out are researching, developing, and implementing projects that have a profound impact in the lives of many. We unleash mindful work and big results.