Feminist City: Imagination of the Civic Innovation in Placemaking
- Peisi Bai
- 3月11日
- 讀畢需時 6 分鐘
已更新：3月17日
Project Introduction
The Feminist City project is based on fieldwork in Govanhill, Glasgow. It seeks to explore how feminist urbanism can influence urban planning, equity, and the provision of services and space for all. As a student majoring in citizenship, this project fundamentally discusses the issue of citizens' urban rights. It examines whether citizens have the power and rights to effectively participate in urban planning decisions. It also investigates who cities are currently designed for and whether this contributes to social inequality. The aim is to transform cities from being economically oriented in urban planning to becoming equality-centered, inclusive, diverse, and dynamic cities.
Duration: May 2024 - Aug 2024
Location: Govanhill, Glasgow
Role: Urban Planner, Spatical Researcher, Public Service Designer
Design Outcomes: Urban Planning Strategy, Public Service System, Community Space
Project Framework
WHY | Design Challenges and Goals
Owing to traditional gender roles and historical constraints in patriarchal societies, women are often unable to enjoy equal urban and political rights. This inequality can lead to financial difficulties, mental health issues, and social isolation. Public spaces and services should be equitable and accessible to all without adding extra burdens. Especially important for marginalized groups like women and minorities who may already face discrimination.
The goals of this project are to explore ways to empower women by redesigning urban resources, services, and social engagements through social enterprise. To create a more diverse and creative urban environment that benefits women and other marginalized groups, ultimately striving for social innovation and breaking free from patriarchal norms.
WHAT | The Definition of Feminist City
Essentially, a feminist city does not create hidden obstacles that hinder the self-development of all genders, sexual orientations, races, and physical abilities, etc. Instead, it fosters a supportive atmosphere for everyone.
Based on my research in Glasgow, I believe that Feminist City is capable of providing care and services to everyone, regardless of factors such as gender, sexual orientation, physical health, etc.
For example, in terms of transportation in various parts of the city, anyone can travel, the environment is safe, we can see all the groups on the streets, everyone has decision-making and representation rights in participating in environmental design decisions, and people can be interconnected and have inclusive and harmonious relationships, rather than isolating and exploiting each other.
HOW | Design Strategy: Civic Innovation + Urban Planning
Civic Innovation
To achieve the design goal, a permanent and accessible civic innovation platform for community involvement is needed. To foster civic innovation and empower individuals to shape the future cities, spaces, and services of their community while addressing participation barriers.
Urban Planning Advice
As part of the strategy, I propose the use of informal spaces, empty spaces, and discontinuous roads in the city to establish versatile and small-scale urban elements. This approach has the potential to attract people and increase the surveillance of these spaces, thus reducing the likelihood of violent behavior. Safety is the basic goal of this strategy; additionally, this strategy will cater to the diverse needs of Govanhill, serving as a fundamental goal to build strong social connections and promote inclusivity in the city.
WHO | Project Impacts
Who am I primarily designing for? Women, children, minorities, disabled people, and everyone from other countries.
From a macro perspective, this Feminist City project explored how feminist approaches guide urban planning, equity, and the provision of services and space for everyone. This project also fundamentally discusses the issue of citizens’ urban rights; every citizen has the power and rights to design the city. And they can effectively participate in urban planning decisions, researching whether the city leads to social inequality. Thereby transforming cities from economically oriented urban planning to equality-centered, inclusive, diverse, and dynamic cities.
The following are the positive impacts that this design has brought to different entities from a macro level to a micro level.
Research Outcomes
Communities Members and Experts Interviews and Analysis
After the interview synthesis analysis, I realized that when we look at inequality from the perspective of cities, it will be better to understand the gender-inequality issue systemically and holistically and be mindful about only standing in a ‘traditional’ perspective to understand women’s lived experiences and needs. The purpose of building a feminist city is not only about simply addressing women's daily needs. What goes beyond this is to appreciate every woman's (actually, ‘everyone ) individuality without stereotypes, consider what opportunities and possibilities we can offer women (everyone'), and provide relevant spaces, services, and resources to support them in building their value, capacity, and confidence in our cities.
Additonally, In my opinion, a feminist city would provide not only equality, diversity, and inclusion but also accessibility, connectivity, and high visibility in various forms for women and other citizens.
User Engagements: Safety As The Top Concern
54% of Govanhill's population are single mothers. Also, due to increases in population through migration, overcrowding, and high levels of occupancy, South-West Govanhill is one of the most densely populated areas in Scotland. This places considerable strain on local infrastructure and also adds to community tensions, environmental problems, and other social issues.
After I engaged with 10 people on the street and conducted a quick survey and workshop, safety was identified as the top concern, especially regarding the safety and convenience of nighttime transportation.
Environmental Research: Urban Design that Prone To Crime
Safety issues in Govanhill stem from various factors, including road safety concerns, inadequate services for marginalized groups, organized crime, housebreaking, male dominance in public spaces, and discrimination. It’s essential to adopt a holistic approach to safety rather than focusing on isolated solutions like adding street lights. Urban design and social research are interconnected, and I aim to explore this issue further, incorporating social insights into urban planning.
Community Research: Community Support As Opportunity
The Govanhill community consists of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, each contributing unique perspectives. While these differences can lead to conflicts, they also foster inclusivity, which is essential for a feminist city. By embracing our diversity with optimism, we can work together to build a more harmonious community.
Participation: Barries and Opportunities
During the research process, I discovered obstacles and challenges for people to participate in urban construction. Designers and stakeholders can create a more inclusive and accessible environment for all participants, acknowledging and addressing the various obstacles they may face.
Feminist City: A Specific Definition
A city that concerns everyone’s challenges—women, children, people with disabilities, minority groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals. It can support their daily and diverse activities.
A city that is accessible, inclusive, convenient for travel, fosters social cohesion, ensures safety for all, showcases local culture, and prioritizes human-centered design over cars.
Cater to diverse groups, especially women and minorities, and those active in public life. Beyond safety, streets should support public life, cultural participation, and enhance the visibility and representation of these communities.
Design Outcomes
This design involves three parts, including:
Social enterprise: citizen innovation service and experience design
Participation space: Informal citizen innovation space design
Urban planning advice
This scheme is designed based on the research on the barriers to citizen participation, reflections on the inequalities caused by citizen participation in design planning and space, and the urban analysis of Govanhill. It provides a non-formal and fixed offline environment for people to access at any time, combining interesting spaces and space services to lower the barrier for people to participate and make it fun and easy. The three designs interact with each other (details can be seen on the next page), achieving a complete process from raising citizen awareness, promoting citizen innovation, to implementing urban design.
Part 1. Citizen Innovation Service Design
Part2. Informal Citizen Innovation Space Design
Part3. Urban Planning Advice
Offer a diverse range of urban services that are easily accessible within walking distance and are non-consumer in nature, catering to the needs of various populations. This approach stimulates the local economy, draws more people to the streets, and creates a safer environment.
To effectively redesign the streets, people should have easy access to their nearest thoroughfare, allowing them to connect with their community, socialize, and engage in recreational activities. The spaces consider every person in the city in this redesign process.
This approach not only increases foot traffic on the streets, creating a natural safety surveillance system, but it also addresses the needs of more individuals, fostering vibrant and safe communities.
What new developments are needed in the city? Like this final collage, we hope it will be filled with creativity and vitality. We look forward to seeing the tangible designs of feminist city emerge through citizen innovation in the future.
Conclusion
I believe that equitable city services and spaces should first and foremost address everyone and be easily accessible. People should not have to spend extra time or money to enjoy these services or spaces. Additionally, this also makes women and minority groups visible and represented. Every person has the right to use public spaces in a city, to have access to diverse public life, and to participate in urban decision-making processes.
Thanks for reading :) I am willing to share more information about the project with you. If you would like to read the entire project content, please send an email to bessiepak@gmail.com
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