By Julia Chambers, Moa Westman and Carmen Niethammer
The world’s urban population is expected to grow by 2.5 billion by 2050, almost 90% of which in Asia and Africa. Women increasingly make up the majority of the urban population (for every 100 men aged 50+ and 60+ there are already 113 and 122 women, respectively) and there are more and more single women-headed households in cities.
Yet, worldwide, women’s perspectives and voices are under-represented in urban leadership: women make up less than 5% of mayors and occupy only about 10% of the highest-ranking jobs in leading architecture firms.
Critical infrastructure and services in our cities, including housing and land, transport, public spaces and utilities, affect women and men differently. Currently, most public spaces, buildings and streets are developed by men, and mainly taking into consideration men’s perspectives and needs.
How would these places look or feel if they were conceived and built for everybody?
Sidewalks would likely be wider, to make it easier to move around with strollers or walkers. There would be fewer high curbs and stairs. More streetlights would help keep everyone safe walking at night. Affordable, accessible and secure public transport solutions would likely accommodate shorter trips and ensure last mile connectivity.
Design features like pavement widths and streetlights are part of a municipality’s ability to transport people quickly and safely to school, shops, work or hospital. Gender is not a side issue — it is central to the creation of functional infrastructure in an efficient society.
The European Investment Bank is helping to change how infrastructure is planned and delivered. That change begins with a design that serves the needs of men and women equally.