YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
Our cities have grown over centuries. This also reflects the history of urban society, i.e. who was in charge, which professions were accessible to whom. A city is a multi-layered structure: urban structures and mobility conditions as well as the availability of social and green infrastructure have a decisive influence on living conditions. For a long time, the urban planning we know today was characterised by middle-class men who drove cars and did little or no care work. Their everyday experiences and needs have also influenced their planning.
Gender-responsive urban planning means transforming social issues into technical issues and is a target group-orientated form of quality management. Different target groups often have different needs and requirements. Planning processes therefore constantly require decisions to be made on conflicting objectives and often contradictory requirements. In other words, the space that some people get is then no longer available to others. This is clearly evident in the street space. Parking lanes, carriageways, cycle paths, wide pavements, shaded seating under trees, which are a prerequisite for mobility for some people: here, planners have to make decisions all the time, and there is simply no way of getting everything right. Such a target group-orientated approach, which differentiates according to biological gender, social roles - such as the performance of care work - age, social and cultural backgrounds and acts according to the principle of fair city sharing, is called gender planning.
This begins with gender-sensitive park design, as girls and boys often have different interests in sports and games, and ranges from the systematic quality assessment of housing projects submitted for subsidised housing to the monitoring of urban planning designs and mobility planning. In Vienna, the topic of "comfortable and safe walking" was already formulated in 1991 with the exhibition "Who owns the public space - everyday life for women in the city". Finally, a start was made on widening pavements, changing traffic lights in favour of pedestrians, carrying out a fairness check for different target groups and conducting social space surveys.
Around sixty pilot projects, the development of numerous guidelines and planning recommendations and the integration of gender aspects into the urban development plan and the Smart Climate City strategy as well as fairness checks for measures in the specialised concepts "Mobility" and "Public Space" made Vienna an international pioneer in gender planning in terms of thematic breadth and methodological depth.
Gender-appropriate design of public spaces
Public space is "booming". The variety and duration of use throughout the day and year has increased significantly. The months-long lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have further intensified this trend. Little money, cramped living conditions, daytime leisure time during unemployment: this is another reason why there is a strong demand for public spaces as places to spend time and as meeting points and living rooms. Public gardens are expanding, lawns are being left free in parks, picnics and children's birthday parties are being held and new trend sports can be observed. Parks and squares enable encounters or at least observational participation and help to combat feelings of loneliness, an increasing problem, especially in old age. This is where the social capital of a neighbourhood is created.
However, with the increasing attractiveness of public spaces, there is also a risk that usage conflicts and "density stress" will intensify. This arises due to a shortage of space, but also when the forms of appropriation and behaviour of different user groups differ considerably. This creates a displacement effect, even if there is objectively enough space for everyone. These aspects also have a gender and age dimension.
Different views on appropriate behaviour, acceptable noise levels and levels of pollution lead to conflicts and resentment, especially among older people. Sexual harassment and an increased willingness to use violence in conflicts create insecurity.
So how can planning contribute to making public spaces usable and safe in a good and equitable way? The undisputed goal is the right to public space for everybody. It is about creating feel-good areas and avoiding fearful spaces - about an attractive offer that takes into account the everyday needs of many different groups and strengthens the subjective feeling of being safe.
Good street lighting provides orientation and an overview, good urban development and good planning of buildings and green spaces prevent the creation of fearful areas. Dark corners are avoided, lively spaces orientated towards the street create social control, etc.
An adequate and differentiated space offering, especially where many different groups come together, is an essential prerequisite for well-functioning public spaces. The quality of urban development is particularly important here, and a lot can be realised in the new urban development areas. Densely built-up areas pose a much greater challenge.
Whether the public space becomes an integrative place of participation and inclusion depends not only on the hardware but also on the software. The public sphere is constituted in the interplay between physical and social space, through group-specific behaviour, appropriation patterns and people's interactions.
By international comparison, Vienna invests a lot in social work and community work in public and semi-public spaces. There are many programmes offered by different providers for different target groups. First and foremost is the wide range of extracurricular work with children and young people, with a variety of open programmes for leisure activities that serve to expand the scope for action and social recognition. Park supervision services are available for many children in the parks, but also include intergenerational programmes. There are also special mobile work programmes for homeless people, people suffering from addiction and mentally ill people. Cooperation between these institutions and the urban planning department has been intensified in order to utilise their experience for the redesign and redevelopment of squares and parks.
Pilot projects support a new planning culture
In the Viennese district of Mariahilf, effective improvements in public spaces for pedestrians were achieved over a four-year pilot process starting in 2001 by gender experts together with employees from seven municipal departments and the district council - mostly through small but consistent steps. For example, the women's commission of the district council undertook inspections in the dark to identify areas of fear, the annual budget for improving lighting was subsequently increased, additional lighting was installed at 26 locations and mirrors were installed in a winding passageway to provide a better overview. The quality of the network for pedestrians has improved noticeably in this densely built-up district.
In the Reumannplatz pilot project, new solutions were sought for the heavily frequented square in the centre of Vienna's "Favoriten" district, which has few green spaces, and new formats for planning participation were tested. At a "planning café", photos of various possible atmospheres and furnishing elements were shown on site. People passing by were asked to award sticky dots for the photos that appealed to them most. A distinction was made according to gender and age (blue/red, large/small). This non-verbal method, which also works quickly as people walk by, makes different preferences very clear and also facilitates a targeted approach to underrepresented groups.
Gender-sensitive park design reduces displacement mechanisms
Gender-sensitive park and playground design is the area where gender planning approaches have been implemented most consistently. The study "Playful opportunities? Girls in public spaces!" (1997) showed that girls from the age of around nine often withdraw from parks because the equipment is much more focussed on the needs of boys and there is often competition for scarce play areas. This was the impetus for the implementation of six pilot projects, four of which also trialled different participation formats for girls. Based on the evaluation of these projects, planning recommendations for gender-sensitive park and playground design were drawn up, which have since formed the basis for all new park planning in Vienna.
Good orientation options, continuous, glare-free lighting and clear routing of the main paths are important in order to feel safe in the park. Visibility and thus social control also contribute to improving the subjective feeling of safety.
Synergies with neighbouring uses can also make a significant contribution in terms of gender mainstreaming. For example, attractive facilities for older children should also be provided near the toddler play area to enable those who are responsible for younger siblings - usually girls - to have their own activities. Girls are still more reserved than boys when it comes to appropriating space. In order to increase their range of activities, attractive play equipment or furniture near ball games areas or skating facilities can serve as possible starting points for them to take steps towards these sports areas.
Robust and gender-appropriate basic park facilities also include seating, drinking water and toilets (these are particularly important for women and older people, but also for marginalised people). These facilities are often a prerequisite for these groups to stay longer in the park.
Other key quality criteria are the network of paths and integration into the surrounding area. Is the park easily accessible via a direct, short route and easy to cross? Are important path connections from the surrounding area included, making everyday journeys easier for residents? Do the widths of the main paths allow several people to walk at different speeds? Is the entire park barrier-free?
Are non-functionalised areas available more than once for extensive exercise and play or can they be used by several groups at the same time in order to avoid displacement mechanisms by dominant users? Do they offer flexibility and potential for change? Are small retreat areas provided for different groups? Are many seating options provided in different spatial situations - including in peripheral zones - so that the desired proximity or distance can be chosen?
Does a spatial system allow people to "do rounds" in the park, i.e. can older people go for a walk and children cycle or skate without having to go out into the street??
Vienna's experience shows that the gender-sensitive design of public parks, playgrounds and sports areas is a key approach to achieving greater gender equality that can be implemented quickly and at no extra cost!!
Seestadt Aspern – a role model for high and successful everyday quality
At 240 hectares, Seestadt Aspern is one of the largest urban development areas in Europe. The former airfield has been developed in several stages over many years. Here, too, gender-sensitive approaches are being applied in the various planning levels and subject areas. Over the years, the gender perspective has been integrated into the revision of the urban planning design and the numerous planning competitions: be it the design principles for public spaces, subsidised housing, school buildings or the design of the parks.
This quality is particularly evident in the recently completed "Quartier am Seebogen", in which the "City of short distances" has become reality. The underground exit, supermarket, kindergarten, school and youth centre are all located within easy walking distance, meaning that distances are very short. The Elinor-Ostrom-Park provides a particularly diverse range of uses. The park, designed by the Swiss firm Hager, also utilises the space under the underground railway line for small-scale exercise and sports facilities. Small ball game cages open to the park allow several different groups to play, while horizontal bars and a bicycle course for children to practise cycling on different surfaces complete the offer. In the centre of the park there is a table and bench combination shaded by a pergola, from where there is a good overall view of the park, as well as a public toilet facility that can be used free of charge.
In the Urban Lakeside, almost all personalised park and street names are female in order to honour female scientists and artists and to reduce the historical imbalance in naming. This symbolic level is also important for the appropriation of public spaces.
The district is largely car-free. Only a few dead-end roads lead to the district's collective car parks. The district management, a community support organisation, confirms that many children in Seestadt are therefore already alone on the streets at an early age. Where the environment is classified as safe by the parents and from what age children are left on their own would in principle be an important indicator of the quality of residential areas and districts. The autonomy of children also increases the autonomy of parents: many accompanying journeys are thus eliminated and no longer necessary.
The climate crisis as a new challenge
Climate change poses major new challenges: densely built-up areas heat up considerably in summer, which affects young children and senior citizens in particular, and women also suffer from heat earlier in old age than men. Gender aspects also play an important role here. Where there are few green spaces and avenues, it hardly cools down even at night, and parked cars radiate additional heat. The unsealing and greening of streets are therefore urgently needed.
In order to combat the climate crisis, we will have to change our traffic behaviour. At the same time, this will also improve the quality of life, as reducing the number of cars will create space for street areas that can be used in many different ways.
For many years, gender-sensitive planning has emphasised the importance of green spaces from the user's perspective, but now their microclimatic function is also receiving much greater attention. Vienna's new urban development plan, which is currently being drawn up, also places a strong focus on the potential recreational and climatic function of street space, especially in densely built-up areas. Under the motto "Away from asphalt", Vienna is starting to remodel street spaces in areas that are particularly badly affected, an important contribution to reducing urban heat islands.
A gender-equitable city is a city of many people and a city of diversity. It is always about promoting and supporting a good life for as many people as possible with their different needs. This requires planners who specifically consider the potential gender bias in analyses, projects and decisions. This is also becoming increasingly important in light of the climate crisis. Such holistic approaches to planning can help to design the necessary measures in a more socially equitable way and achieve the necessary support. Their transformative power is considerable and must be utilised. Gender-responsive, diversity-orientated and sustainable urban redevelopment is also a great opportunity.
