Gender-informed planning and urbanism: practitioner voices, reflective case studies and participatory approaches

Source abstract

Over the last six years, there has been an influx of gender-informed planning and urbanism research and resources owing to more public discourse on violence against women and women’s safety during and after the global COVID-19 pandemic. While understanding the impacts of gender on planning and urbanism is becoming more commonplace, there is insufficient reflection on the lessons learned, particularly from planning practitioners. This article relies on case study analysis in which practitioners reflect and evaluate their work in gender-informed planning and urbanism and academics frame the topic by extending and contextualising the practitioners’ voices. Although these studies operate at different scales – from international, municipal planning to grassroots – the critical role of participatory approaches is a common thread. The article highlights the need to bridge the divide between theory and practice within this topic and recognises the importance of situated knowledge and developing knowledge through action.