Navigating below the 1.5 °C mark: Reimagining inclusive resilience in the built environment

Navigating below the 1.5 °C mark: Reimagining inclusive resilience in the built environment through women’s mobility.

There are numerous national and international initiatives that have been developed reducing offenses to women on public transport places. Only a few cases have been measured. Education engaging hired staff and women to raise awareness on these initiatives have yet to pick up momentum. Meanwhile, there is only so much that these initiatives can do to control or limit these incidences and women still face the fear of uncertainty for their safety and security when being mobile. Effective design strategies for public transport places can be incorporated in the city’s sustainable urban planning and transportation plan and programme to ensure that women’s safety, security, convenience and dignity priorities are addressed. Research data on various social groups and perceptions on current public transport places were analyzed. Findings were guided by the feminist sociological theory showing that through gender analysis men and women have different requirements and expectations on mobility. Gender concerns included personal safety and security, adequate facilities, location, crowded zones, non- crowded zones, socio economic environment, waiting time, frequency of service, transportation staff knowledge and delivery of service along with availability of transport options.

The obvious connection between social, economic circumstance and the built environment exists with very little understood or explored in this area. A study conducted involving crime incidences at stations along a light rail line in Los Angeles investigated crime statistics, census and ridership data to evaluate the relationship of crime to the geographical data produced (Loukaitou-Sideris, A., Liggett, R. and Iseki, H., 2002). Current urban planning strategies have failed to acknowledge violence in public spaces. Gaps exist in urban design responses to gender violence in public places. Research conducted in Spain, Mexico and U.S. located divisions between public and private groups, structural inequalities, and social disparity affect planning for gender places in future cities (Sweet, E.L., and Escalante, S.O, 2010). Madan and Nalla (2015) found women sexual victimization in public spaces, particularly public transport areas of New Delhi, India was heavily based on situational conditions. Also, perceptions of sexual harassment differed between gender groups. However, female groups aim to regulate zero tolerance policy for any form of sexual harassment in public. Further research shows that women are often crime victims in public transport. In New York, other than sexual offenses, snatch thefts (bags and jewelry) and stealth crimes (pick pocketing) have also been reported on public transport places. In some scenarios, men have higher rates than women dependent on the majority users of public transport (British Transport Police, 2004). Stafford and Pettersson (2004) reported similar crimes on public transport among men and women in the U.K. Women are reported to have higher rates of victimization through sex crimes (Smith, 2008). Women are most vulnerable as sex crimes continue to persist.

Sex crimes involved occurrences of offenses such as, rape, sexual touching, rubbing, language and eve teasing. A case study in Chennai investigated eve teasing of college women in public transport places (Natarajan, M 2016). Some of these sexual offenses are usually facilitated by crowded conditions. A number of harassment crimes are often unreported to police and transit officials. Although, gaps exist in the reporting of crime in public transport places, further research is recommended. Knowledge such as, trip destination is required for policy makers to involve transport providers and organizations who may contribute in the problem-solving process. In some scenarios, walking in areas with less people and lack of crowds instigated sexual offenses (Smith, 2008). In Stockholm, Sweden, a third of all rapes in Stockholm occur in public outdoor places (Ceccato,V, Wiebe, D, Eshraghi,B, Vrotsou, K, 2017). The most common place for harassment of women in Southampton, U.K. was a street (Lynch and Atkins, 1988). Additionally, sites such as, open spaces, public transport stops and vehicles were noted for prevalence of women’s victimization. These incidents indicate the extreme necessity for effective solutions required to manage crime trends in mobility of women. Gendered travel patterns drawing from the feminist theory suggest that transport demands differ among women, due to age, class or race/ethnicity. (Loukaitou-Sideris, A., 2016). Creating women centric design solutions by developing an effective gendered design strategy will minimize crime incidences in public transport places.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacob (1961) argued that modern design changed the way local streets were publically observed minimizing informal social control of criminal activity. She recommended designing pavements and open spaces for people to circulate increasing public areas and reducing fear. According to Jacobs (1961) social cohesive open spaces made women feel safe. Her book greatly influenced American city planning and design from there onwards. Social relations with groups that control public space also effect the perceptions of women safety with in a space (Valentine, G. 1990). In Towards an Architecture, Le Corbusier’s (1927) notion of organization in the built environment arose from the influence of geometry and mathematical order. According to him factors such as zoning and building design will eventually shape human development, behavior and social improvement. Lewis Mumford (1961) stressed on the necessity of urban gathering places as a means of promoting positive cohesive behavior for human beings, in his book, The City in History. In the book Subway City, Brooks (1997) revealed the gender disparity in the use of public transport while stating claims that the subway is a place to celebrate the urban experience. Designing public spaces can control and confine power symmetries. Urban design creates a sense of context, constructs an identity and permeates through spatial boundaries. In the book, Public Urban Space, Gender and Segregation: Women-only Urban Parks in Iran, Reza Arjmand (2016) evaluates patterns of interaction with gender segregated and mixed space through phenomenology stating that gendered spaces are far from a static physical spatial division. Thus, gendered design is employed to revise the spatial dichotomy of sexes and further enhance the penetration of women into public open spaces and public transport spaces.

Recent trends in smart city development involve using technological advances, such as sensors to monitor public transport and traffic in cities. These technologies include optimized traffic lights in various localities to prevent crime. Government officials and stakeholders have a responsibility to lead the planning efforts. Consumption and investment in physical capital allow emerging cities to inject up to $30 trillion a year into the world economy by 2025. It is essential to understand cities and their shifting demographics which have to adapt for the rising challenges when faced with limited natural and financial resources (McKinsey and Company, 2012). Cities are becoming hubs for sustainability, technology and innovation to rise above and beyond the design conundrum further alleviating sexual offenses and supporting positive social behavioral patterns while inducing smart sustainably built environments for all genders. The United Nations (2018) outlined sustainable development goals in the Post 2015 Development agenda to be achieved for the projected rise of 5 billion people in cities by 2030. This was done so that countries of the world would thrive sustainably for future generations. Designing for gendered spaces may aim to achieve the following UN goals: Goal 3 Good health and well-being for people: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Goal 5: Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. This meets human right protocols necessary for peace, prosperous society and sustainability. Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. By 2030, provide safe, affordable, accessible, sustainable transport systems. Expand public transport and improve road safety with especially to those in vulnerable situations i.e. women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons. Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Reduce all types of offenses to women (UN, 2018). Smart infrastructure design, modern technology and smart city system increase efficiency and improve access to basic services, reduce consumption of natural resources and reduce pollution. Integration of these services into the delivery of sustainable transport infrastructure at a city wide level will improve the UN’s urban sustainable development goals, and prove to be an effective design strategy to improve urban resilience for safer communities.

Rapid urbanization has impacted cities of future. Developing mechanisms for containing large population groups is a challenge. Transportation spaces have to respond rapidly to these changes which are adversely affecting the living quality in these cities due to inadequate places at present. There are several reasons discussed why public transport place should look into women centric design strategies. The urgency at hand is to discuss possible inclusive resilient solutions with design options that will demonstrate how sustainably designed public transport spaces could positively contribute to the broader urban place-making detrimental for dignified living of women in future cities.

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