It’s been over 25 years since the signing of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the legal document that made gender equality compulsory in the European Union. The work on the topic however has a longer history, as even before that, a handful of Member States were already enacting their own gender equality policies. 

A wide range of laws and measures that have been put in place to combat inequality in the last quarter century, and yet it continues to be a main policy topic. So, why are we still talking about gender equality? Haven’t we moved beyond this topic?

Unfortunately, the reality is that not only haven’t we closed the gap between men and women in terms of wages, pensions, school achievement, participation in STEM fields, number of political representatives, and many other topics; in fact, recent data from the European Institute on Gender Equality (EIGE) shows that, on the whole, the EU-27 are still far from achieving gender equality. These statistics, which come from the Gender Equality Index 2022, attributed the stalling or fluctuations in progress predominantly to the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While all 27 Member States have enacted federal laws to translate the principle of gender equality into the national legal framework, implementation at local level remains uneven and tends to favour certain topics, despite the fact that women continue to experience urban spaces, public services, the labour market, education and training and even healthcare in Europe differently than men. Despite nearly a quarter-century of policy, the role of gender equality as a cross-cutting topic that is vital to all policy areas remains poorly understood. 

This does not mean that there haven’t been some positive trends. Disparities between Member States have decreased between 2010-2022. Furthermore, there has been an increase of women in decision-making roles across 19 Member States since 2020. According to the Gender Equality Index 2023, this is a key driver of gender equality, more generally. 

A handful of cities and regions, for example Vienna (AT), Barcelona (ES), Umeå (SE) and the Basque Country (ES), have made a concerted point of focusing on the role of gender in urban and regional development and have worked to push policy innovation and new approaches, including in sectors which were previously not considered relevant. Some of these cities are documented in URBACT’s Gender Equal Cities - Inspirations and Knowledge series, which is filled with testimonials and interviews from URBACT experts, partners and workshop coordinators.

However, the reality for many more municipalities, intermunicipal areas and regional authorities in Europe is that their work on gender equality implementation is hampered by knowledge and data gaps, lack of dedicated personnel, lack of awareness, lack of political support and both active and passive resistance. 
For gender equality to become a reality in European cities and regions, it is critical not only to work across sectors and with a variety of stakeholders but also to work on awareness, acceptance and training at the municipal or organisational level, identifying and actively combatting stereotypes and raising awareness and allyship among men, who are all too frequently missing from the conversation. Networking and peer learning between municipalities can help transfer knowledge and effective practices as well as increase the effectiveness of those working on this topic and the policies they develop.

FEMACT-Cities & gender equality policy: taking on the implementation gap

Against this backdrop, the URBACT FEMACT-Cities Action Planning Network seeks to improve the implementation of gender equality on a local level and to increase innovation and knowledge sharing in gender equality in topics shared by the partners. Following on the success of other cities, the network’s work plan will focus on both internal and structural gender mainstreaming in the partner organisations and three thematic clusters shared by the partners: urban development, labour market and training, and health and safety. The goal of the network is to create cities and regions in which all residents, irrespective of gender, can experience freedom of movement, freedom from violence, freedom from fear, freedom to pursue their dreams, and freedom to reach their full potential.

FEMACT-Cities is composed of eight partners (Länsstyrelsen Skåne (SE), Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Coimbra (PT), Clermont-Auvergne Métropole (FR), Kraków (PL), Turin (IT), Municipality of Postojna (SI), Cluj Metropolitan Area Intercommunity Development Association (RO), and Szabolcs 05 Regional Development Association of Municipalities (HU)) who have embarked on a two-year journey of learning, sharing and testing in order to create integrated action plans for their local policy challenges. This network will tackle a host of topics, including gender-based violence, women’s health issues and gendered approaches to mobility planning. It will build on and complement the work of the URBACT Action Planning Network GenderedLandscape (2019-2022).

Doing the work: more from URBACT

To learn more about URBACT’s work on gender equality and how it affects your sector, check out the Gender Equal Cities report (2022), which is packed with case studies, helpful tools and methods. 

Watch this video for an introduction to gender-responsive public procurement.

You can also get a refresher on 10 times URBACT has driven change for gender equal cities in recent years.

Photo by Christian Lue.

Submitted by Mary Dellenbaugh on 28/11/2023.
 

Most city strategies and agendas see the hours between early evening and early morning as a space for consumption, with significant attention given to industries traditionally associated with the night such as entertainment and hospitality. However, the night-time economy is also a productive field with a series of services functioning at night including public transport, logistics, waste collection and healthcare, all of which are fundamental for keeping our cities fully operational on a 24/7 basis.  

Bartenders, cleaners, drivers, nurses, and logistic workers are just some of the professional categories of workers ‘after dark’. If we look at the impact of night-time economy on the local workforce across the globe: in New York, the night-time economy supports 300 000 jobs  in culture and entertainment alone (hospitality, bars, arts, sport and recreation) while in London 1.6 million people work at night across diverse sectors (191 000 persons work in healthcare, 178 000 in professional services, 168 000 in culture and leisure).  

Following these observations, a gendered division of work leaves room for inequalities in the night-time economy. Only 38% of night-time workers in London are women, and statistics don’t fully account for the caring responsibilities undertaken mostly by women at home during night-time hours.  

Reshaping how cities work at night for women is key for improving employability and feeling of safety, but also for counteracting any form of sexual harassment and promoting gender equality through new services and functions. 

All aboard for safer cities 

Fostering access to better jobs at night for women is a challenge that needs to be tackled across several dimensions in cities. The perception of safety in public spaces is a decisive element that also affects the working choices made by women. According to the 2023 Report on the Quality of Life in European cities, women are less likely than men to feel safe in the city at night (67% versus 72%). 

The access to frequent, safe and reliable public transportation modes is a crucial aspect for reducing inequalities in access to the night-time economy. “Women often refuse jobs because of night shifts. Waiting for a night bus or a train at night can be very problematic, and it often keeps women out of using these mobility modes, forcing us to spend much more than men to get back home in a safer way with taxi or ride-sharing services. The use of ICT solutions could be useful for analysing how women use transport at night but also for creating easier applications to report harassment and violence happening on public transportation” says Nourhan Bassam, urbanist and author of The Gendered City.

Night Bus in Tallinn. Source: Cities After Dark.

The night bus pilot project launched by Tallinn (EE), one of the partners of Cities After Dark, from May to September 2023 offered an important service for workers and partygoers, with four lines connecting the city centre to different suburbs of the city. “Night buses can be crucial for enhancing the feeling of safety for women at night, offering a sustainable and safe alternative for commuting to work or just for enjoying the city at night," says Natalie Mets, night-time advisor of Tallinn and coordinator of the URBACT Local Group.

Addressing the gender commute gap at night is a priority shared by cities all around the world. In Mumbai, the SafeCity project aims to create safer urban and mobility experiences for all through the analysis of data collected with online surveys and urban design audits on how women move in streets, markets and transport interchanges at night. The project, supported by Stanford University, Vital Voices and the US State Department, developed ten principles that can be replicated in other urban contexts. These include the active involvement of women in urban design projects, the organisation of collective night walks for a safe journey to home and the promotion of women’s participation in the urban workforce at night. Increasing the presence of female taxi drivers at night in a city such as Mumbai is one example where women’s-only taxi services gained considerable visibility in the last decade.

The more we know: Training and education for better working conditions

If a city wants to ensure the right to the night for all, then raising awareness, from workers to partygoers, on how to prevent and counteract any form of sexual harassment is crucial. According to a study of the European Fundamental Rights Agency, 90% of victims of sexual harassment are women, and 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence during their adult lives.

To tackle the feeling of insecurity experienced by many women while travelling and working, London (UK) launched the Women’s Night Safety Charter. This charter commits signatory organisations, venues and businesses operating at night to design public spaces and workplaces safer for women, nominate a champion within the organisation responsible for promoting women’s night safety, promote communication campaigns on the topics and train the staff to ensure that all the harassments reports presented by women are recorded and responded to. Mayor Sadiq Khan has invested over GBP 100 000 (around EUR 117 000) to develop training activities, events for sharing good practices and resources for supporting voluntary signatories. Among these resources, the Women’s Night Safety Charter’s Toolkit was produced in collaboration with the national campaign for a safer nightlife ‘Good Night Out’ to offer ideas and inspiration for putting the commitments into action with a special focus on staff upskilling and innovative ways to communicate with customers.

In Paris (FR), the NGO Consentis, a partner of the URBACT network Cities After Dark, is joining forces with the city’s Night Council (Conseil de la nuit) to improve safety at public events, where they say 60% of women have been victims of sexual assault or violence. They organise training activities for artists, staff and organisers, and place stands temporarily outside popular clubs, music venues and festivals. “Our strategy is to take the opportunity to talk about sexual consent at events and festivals because clubs and cultural spaces are places where people come with a festive mood and are open to listen to positive messages,” says Julie Lalloué, co-coordinator of Consentis and member of the network’s Local Group in Paris. Spreading information about consent culture in cheerful locations is not only a way for reducing harassment during events but also a way to educate people towards better behaviour in private spaces, in a city like Paris where most of the violent crimes occurring at night take place in private properties.  

NGO Consentis. Source: Cities After Dark.

Enhancing the safety of women who work in the entertainment sector at night is another key priority for Consentis, which promoted the campaign Réinventer la nuit (Reinventing the night) in October 2023 to counter sexual violence against DJs. A manifesto was launched to promote a series of principles for making cultural work at night safer for women and LGBTQi people. The campaign has also produced a series of protocols for the security of artists and music venues aimed at creating a better work environment through prevention and awareness-raising measures for different groups, such as partygoers, event organisers and booking agencies.  

The implementation of measures for improving safety in bars and clubs can also make these venues more women-friendly. “In a series of workshops that I curated in Barcelona I was surprised to see that young women said they feel safer in the streets of the city than inside a club. Normally we think that it’s better to stay indoors, but it’s not always true. The quality of the venues is often poor: there are no functional restrooms or control on who has access to these venues. It’s a very delicate subject that needs to be managed with the use of qualitative data to understand who is using these premises at night and how,” says Andreina Seijas, associate at Gehl and researcher on night-time governance and planning.

New services and opportunities for women 

The creation of innovative services to support employability and, more generally, the quality of life of women at night is also an important element of the urban strategies on night-time economy. Braga (PT), the lead partner of the URBACT network Cities After Dark, is set to launch the first 24-hour nursery from September 2024. The Clube do Pequenos (literally, Little People’s Club) is close to the Minho University and the city hospital and will welcome children from birth to three years old. This service will be particularly useful for the parents working in healthcare and educational services, relieving women who share most of the caring responsibilities for children and other vulnerable or elderly relatives after dark: according to the EIGE’s Gender Equality Index 2019, in Portugal 87% of women take care of their family for 1 hour or more daily, compared to 79% of men while around 78% of women do cooking and housework every day at least for one hour compared to only 19% of men, which is among the widest gender gaps in the EU.

Night Nursery. Source: Cities After Dark.

Vibrant public spaces for women to take their place 

Women’s access to the night-time economy involves not only better planning of public spaces and green areas, with lighting and safety systems, but also strategies for keeping these public spaces vibrant after dark with cultural and business activities precisely by encouraging the participation of female workers and other users in night-time economy. This was exemplified by the UIA ToNite project of Turin (IT), which funded 20 micro-projects to revive public spaces in suburban areas along the Dora River with theatre festivals, film screenings, sports activities and language programmes mostly attended by women from migrant communities. The activities organised in streets and public parks provided a positive response to different generations of women reclaiming public spaces at night, increasing their participation in the public realm. 

The night buses in Tallinn mentioned before are a permanent service from this year (2024), a key achievement for the night-time advisor. It speaks to the stronger attention that women in charge of governance responsibilities on night-time economy have on the improvement of services for the safety and the quality of life of women at night. A study carried out globally among night mayors and advisors in 2018 showed that only 26% of them were women, but something is changing. “Urban planning has traditionally been a male-dominated field but it is interesting to notice that more women are getting involved as leaders in the night-time economy and are having greater influence on the governance of this sector because a lot of them work in the cultural field or in queer spaces, so they can bring a new perspective,” says Andreina Seijas. 

While the gender gap may persist, it is not insurmountable thanks to local urban strategies and new services aimed at making the night-time economy a leverage for growth, sustainability and equality in cities.  

Follow the Cities After Dark network at its official network page and on LinkedIn for more inspiration! 

For more inspiration on gender equality in urban policy, visit the FEMACT-Cities and GenProcure network page and explore the Gender Equal Cities Knowledge Hub. 

Every year on 8 March, International Women’s Day reminds us the progress yet to be made for gender equality at international, national, local and individual levels.

To support this fight, URBACT has funded several city networks working on gender equality for which tools, guidance and inspirational examples are captured in the Gender Equal Cities URBACT Knowledge Hub. The current open call for Action Planning Networks is a unique opportunity for cities to join forces when it comes to this matter, no matter which urban topic they choose to tackle. From mobility to digital transition and even green jobs, any local policy will be more successful and sustainable if the gender dimension is taken into account. 

Get a taste of 10 stories when it comes to a just transition. Whether you are applying to join an URBACT Network or not, read on – and take a trip down memory lane – to get some inspiration of what can be done for more gender equal cities.

Umeå (SE)
A gendered landscape

Umeå is definitely a city that holds gender equality close to its heart. Besides having a municipal Gender Equality Officer working across different departments, the city has long been involved with URBACT when it comes to this subject. Back in 2011, the municipality joined the WEED Action Planning Network (2008 - 2011) as a Project Partner and, later on, became the Lead Partner of the Genderedlandscape Action Planning Network (2019 - 2022) with the objective to further work on this issue with other EU cities. The city has greatly contributed to both versions of the Gender Equal Cities report (2019 and 2022), both developed under URBACT Knowledge Hub activities. For now, let’s take a closer look at another accomplishment from this city: back in 2017, Umeå received the URBACT Good Practice label for providing guided bus tours to show “the local gendered landscape”.

This is an innovative way of showing how working with gender equality takes form in a city. It exemplifies successful changes and work in the city, as well as illuminating remaining issues. In line with Umeå’s high ambitions on sustainability and gender equality, the gendered landscape method is the first of its kind in Europe. It’s not about traditional neighbourhood safety or security surveys, it’s about taking the city itself as the starting point, highlighting gendered power structures and how they can be understood and transformed, while educating and raising awareness of locals. There are several examples of how the initiatives of the bus tour have made an impact in the planning and development of the city. For example, the Umeå’s Street and Parks department permanently changed their methods for dialogues with citizens and gender-mainstreamed the content of steering documents. Another example is the monitoring done by the culture sector, which has observed a positive trend towards gender equality. For instance, in 2015 there were 45% women (out of 2 000 events) were main performers in the cultural stages in Umeå, a big increase in comparison to previous years.

Celje (SI)
A pioneering city for women's employment

Under the tagline “Women, Enterprise and Employment in Local Development”, the WEED Action Planning Network (2008 - 2011) was URBACT's first gender-led funded project ever. Ahead of its time, it aimed at mapping and developing integrated local actions to improve women’s labour opportunities in 11 EU cities. Led by the municipality of Celje, its Local Integrated Action Plan was focused in the identification of service gaps – alongside the focus on women’s employment – proved to be an effective way to attract significant fund opportunities. Based on an initial analysis of the local households, unemployed women were the ones who lacked the most training and access to jobs and skills’ resources. That’s how the idea for a Centre for Information, Consultancy and Education came up. The proposal consisted of creating an educational programme that could support women and enable them to even work in the centre later, if they wished to. By the time the WEED Network was coming to an end, 300 000 EUR from the European Social Fund had been secured for the centre. Most recently, the city has taken part in the Genderedlandscape Network as Project Partner.

Vienna (AT)
A gender equal city

The city of Vienna is an example that is showcased in both editions of the Gender Equal Cities report (2019 and 2022) and in the Gender-responsive Public Procurement module (2022). The city also hosted twice URBACT Knowledge Hub workshops, notably the one in 2018. In this occasion, the first policy report was conceptualised. Moreover, the city represented URBACT during an interactive workshop in the 11th World Urban Forum 2022, in Katowice (PL). It also took part in the sub>urban Action Planning Network (2015 -  2018) to rethink the fringes of its urban area. The city is a pioneer when it comes to gender mainstreaming in urban planning. It has one of the longest legacies of gender-sensitive planning with the Women’s Office opening in 1992 and the gender mainstreaming – which means the implementation of gender as a cross sectional issue – starting in 2005.

Today there are gender experts and multipliers all over the city. Gender is integrated into the city’s strategies and all public space, that is designed and built by the municipality, is done so with gender in mind. The outcome is an urban landscape that benefits everyone: parks are lit effectively to provide safety and access, social housing is architecturally designed with flexibility for different family situations, pavements are wider for parents and the elderly, street crossings are longer and pedestrians are prioritised, among other interventions. In addition, the municipality counts with Gender Budgeting Unit, which works with the finance team to oversee the annual budget across all departments using citywide data. As a frontrunner, the city is keen to share its experience with other cities across the world. It has published guides providing practical advice, offering explicit tools and tips, including gender-sensitive language, data collection and advice on how to avoid gender-mainstreaming becoming a catch-all buzzword.

Trikala (EL)
Piloting childcare support

The municipality of Trikala has been involved in a series of URBACT Networks, but in 2019 it joined its first gender-led project, the Genderedlandscape Action Planning Network (2019 - 2022). Led by the city of Umeå, this was the perfect occasion for the municipality of Trikala to strengthen and support the delivery of Greece’s National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2021 - 2025 (NAPGE).  Prior to this experience, the city had already signed the CEMR European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. In May 2020, a municipal gender committee was established to advise public departments. Trikala was able to experiment with different activities, which were developed under the Genderedlandscape small scale actions. A successful experience was the creation of areas within municipal cultural centre and other facilities dedicated to childcare. Henceforth, women and men have a safe space in the heart of the city for breastfeeding or feeding their babies and children, changing diapers, playing and even resting. This story has been showcased in the latest version of the Gender Equal Cities report.

Val-de-Marne (FR)
Welcoming and integrating female migrants

In September 2015, European cities witnessed the largest migration flow since the World War II. Around the same time, the ARRIVAL CITIES Action Planning Network (2015 - 2018) had just been approved. The cities involved in this network came together to stand against a backcloth of rising discrimination and prejudice against immigrants,  with the objective to ensure social cohesion and the migrants’ integration. Val-de-Marne (FR) was one of the cities that joined this fight for immigrants’ rights. But contrary to the majority of its peers and other French cities, Val-de-Marne saw a particular rise on the number of women’s migrants. Despite the fact that women immigrants counted for more than 51% of the total immigrants in Val de Marne, they were considered as a minority. It’s worth mentioning that 20% of the people permanently living in the county of Val-de-Marne were born outside of French territory, a rate 18% higher when in comparison to the average in the Parisian region. 

The issue of social, territorial and gender inequalities have long been at the heart of political and civic commitments in Val-de-Marne. The ARRIVAL CITIES Network was the perfect occasion to further support the emancipation and empowerment of the migrant population. The main challenge when it came to integration and gender equality was the significant professional deskilling. The participation of this city in this URBACT Network has strengthened partnerships with different associations, including the support to the Internship and Training Programme for Women, meaning women could start the process of job integration from the moment they set foot in France. In addition, the Local Integrated Action Plan set out a series of activities for civil society capacity-building and participation, including a Kurdish Women’s Festival that was held in 2017 in partnership of a series of NGOs.

Gdańsk (PL)
Women in blue entrepreneurship

The municipality of Gdańsk has taken part in countless URBACT Networks. Unsurprisingly, the city is also one of the key case studies that are showcased in the latest version of the Gender Equal Cities report. The municipality has developed an app to feature the changing role of women’s employment in its famous Shipyard, simulating experiences from 1945 to 1996 with photos, biographies and audio material. It also used archives and other records, including extracts from a documentary that was shot in 1968. The objective was to give a voice to women’s from the past, telling their everyday working experiences, while encouraging girls and women to reflect on their career development. It’s worth mentioning that the city is a Project Partner in the BluAct Second Wave Transfer Network (2021 - 2023) draws lessons from its previous edition, the BluAct Transfer Network (2018 - 2021). This time around, a big emphasis was put on how blue economy entrepreneurship could help achieving gender equality.

Pordenone (IT)
The city of the future?

Following the success of the Playful Paradigm Transfer Network (2018 – 2021), a spin off network was approved: the Playful Paradigm Second Wave (2021 - 2023). While the first experience focused on gamification, public spaces and using “play” as a tool to re-think cities, the second time around allowed involved cities to look deeper at placemaking and building gender-sensitive places. During one of its meetings, this network decided to focus on the topic of “play for sustainable urban regeneration”, which resulted in a Gender Toolkit. Among the case studies, the city of Pordenone (IT) was showcased. This is a forward-thinking municipality that is always on the lookout of innovation – hence its involvement with the SibDev Action Planning Network (2019 - 2022). The story of how they used immersive techniques to explore gender and urban planning is also told in the most recent version of the Gender Equal Cities report. In Italy, women make up more than half of the national population, still they continue to live, move and work in urban contexts that were historically designed and coded by men. The gender gaps in participation and planning highlight persistent structural inequalities.

The city of Pordenone sought to develop a participative format that could be applied in medium-sized cities to encourage the collective conceptualisation of how the future of the city might be. Their core question was: can we envision a better future from a gendered perspective? Their main goal in this process was to raise awareness among the population of the city and embed gender mainstreaming in planning and policy in the city. The city chose strategic areas to focus  – work, intergenerationality, time and spaces – and designed a treasure hunt through the city based on Live Action Role Play (LARP). A path was established, which included stops at schools, supermarkets, public buildings, the cinema etc. Female participants were instructed to answer questions at each stop and find an object from the past and the future. The next point in the path resulted from their answers and choices. The goal was to facilitate a new vision among the participants by disrupting usual scenarios and offering a new perspective on familiar spaces.

Cesis (LV)
Girls' school coding clubs

Up until today, the lack of girls and young women specialised in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in school and universities is undeniable. Taking part in the TechTown Action Planning Network (2015 - 2018) to build more digital cities, the city of Cesis has quickly noticed this structural issue. The school curriculum is normally fully dedicated to other priority topics and cities, themselves, have little or no ability to influence children’s preferences. However, there are often possibilities to “hack” the programme. For instance, the municipality can suggest schools to add extra-curricular activities: coding clubs or “lunch and learns” – which target girls and provide strong female role models in STEM jobs.

The Cesis branch of the Riga Technical University has created additional activities for students aged 12 - 19 and lego robotics classes the in Cesis Children and Youth centre. Even short interventions can make a big difference. Throughout its action-planning journey, inspiration was drawn from the LearnIT.lv in Latvia. This experiment showed that after only a two-hour workshop on STEM subjects, girls’ interest in studying coding switched from 2% to 13%. It’s also worth mentioning, that this is still a very current challenge. More recently, in the framework of the Genderedlandscape Action Planning Network (2019 - 2022), the city of La Rochelle (FR) – which is known for its heavy nautical and industrial sectors, with a vast majority of male workers – has developed a series of hackathons for school children and, more specifically, girls.

Basque Country (ES)
Gender and regional law

Although not an URBACT beneficiary per se, the Basque Country is not a “new face” to the URBACT community. Besides being showcased in both versions of the Gender Equal Cities report – brining to light matters from guidance to women who are elected officials to education to end gender-based-violence – a speaker from Emakunde (the Basque Institute for Women) was invited to take the floor during a plenary session “How gender equality creates sustainable cities”, during the URBACT City Festival in Pantin – Greater Paris. More recently, the city was showcased alongside Vienna as a key example for Gender-responsive Public Procurement. This new module of URBACT’s Online Course on Strategic Public Procurement was done in partnership with the Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).

In 1999, gender equality was first incorporated into regional law in the Basque Country. Since then Emakunde has worked alongside the Association of Basque Municipalities (EUDEL) to incorporate gender considerations into public policies and procedures, including into procurement. This collaborative approach has created enabling conditions, built capacity and supported local level actions. As a result, according to the latest available data, in 2020, 87% of public procurement included at least one gender equality clause. That is up from 67% in 2015, 42% in 2010 and 11% in 2005.  A concrete example is from Artziniega, a small Basque town, where the municipality contracted daycare services for elderly people in 2021 including specific criteria in the tender related to equal opportunities for women and men. To find out more about this experience, check out the URBACT Gender-responsive Public Procurement modules.

Future Action Planning Networks' cities
What URBACT IV holds for beneficiaries

URBACT is committed to improving gender mainstreaming in all programme activities: in EU responses to urban challenges and in the planning processes of all URBACT cities. Unsurprisingly, gender is among the three crosscutting priorities for this programming period (2021 - 2027) – alongside the green and the digital themes. This doesn’t mean that, from now on, all URBACT Networks will exclusively work around these topics. On the contrary, the programme welcomes a bottom up approach where eligible cities can choose to tackle different urban challenges that are common to projects partners and which are fit to the local needs. Henceforth, gender should be considered as an underlying matter, from which solutions can be drawn to hindering issues. As the Cooperation Programme states:

“Although URBACT operates a ‘bottom up’ principle to allow cities to identify their own challenges, the horizontal principles (EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, gender equality, non- discrimination, sustainable development, accessibility) outlined in Article 9 Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 will be addressed by all networks as part of the assessment criteria for selecting projects. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the networks will aim to highlight good practice in these areas. Specific training on gender equality, digital transition and climate action will be compulsory for all networks.  (…) URBACT IV will increase the capacity building offer linked to digital, green and gender as cross-cutting elements for all networks and activities of the programme.  (…) As part of the URBACT Knowledge Hub, thematic activities will allow cities to meet and exchange on topics cutting across URBACT networks, including green, digital and gender-inclusive’’.

With the current open call for networks, you can already see some hints in the Partner Search Tool as to how cities plan to incorporate the equality spectrum to their proposals. At last, following the example from WEED and Genderedlandscape, some cities might see the potential of focusing their efforts directly in the core of this subject. This is the case of at least four project ideas and, maybe, many more that are not published online. The open call for Action Planning Networks remains open until the end of March and the URBACT team looks forward to seeing what comes next.

After reading these 10 examples, we trust that you will be as inspired and galvanised as much as we are to continue fighting for true and concrete gender-led action across European cities, ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion to all.

To find out more about Gender Equal Cities, be sure to check the URBACT Knowledge Hub!

How may girls and women feel free to move in streets and spend time in squares and parks without feeling discomfort or fear? How does city planning have an impact on gender equality and social inclusion? Ileana Toscano, URBACT III Expert, takes a deeper look into gender equality in cities and how the programme is contributing to a just transition.

Drawing inspiration from the Gender Equal Cities report and the activities done under the URBACT Knowledge Hub umbrella, both the Erasmus plus project “PART-Y - Participation and Youth: Lab for Equal Cities” and the URBACT Playful Paradigm Second Wave Transfer Network reflected on the gender sensitive approach to design and use urban public spaces.

On one hand, PART-Y focused on public spaces as experimental places of democracy by introducing the methodologies of Placemaking, Design Thinking and the Gender Equal Cities approach to foster the “generation equality” goal promoted by UN Women. On the other hand, the Playful Paradigm Second Wave, building on the successful experience from the first round of Playful Paradigm, focused on play as a tool to re-think cities. It took “play” beyond playgrounds to give children, girls and boys and all citizens the "right to play" and drive change for more inclusive and liveable cities.

PART-Y developed a series of products to call young people to action for equality in public spaces by testing placemaking experiences: a Handbook and a Toolbox “to build gender sensitive placemaking projects”. These provide a practical guide to transform urban public spaces into beautiful and comfortable places to live. It consists of a new methodology that enriches placemaking techniques, linked to the creation of community-led urban places, with elements taken from design thinking –  an approach to produce analytical and creative solutions to solve complex problems mainly used for the development of innovative products. Adding to this mixed methodology the gender equal perspective, it was built a new effective tool that guarantees equal access and use of the city in particular for girls and boys.

Led by the Italian association Kallipolis and co-implemented by a consortium of seven entities from different European countries, including local authorities and associations as the Municipality of Trieste (IT), an URBACT II beneficiary; the Cork City Council (IE), an active partner from Playful Paradigm 1, which had the great opportunity of later on sharing its successful experience with other Irish cities; and Umeå Kommun (SE), URBACT’s lighthouse city when it comes to gender, the city was awarded an URBACT Good Practice Label in 2017, then it proceed to lead the Genderedlandscape Action Planning Network (2019 – 2022) and was at the heart of the very first Gender Equal Cities report. All three cities are highly committed to placemaking actions for their citizens.

The experience of Umeå brought a sound inspiration for the PART-Y Handbook and for the whole project development. Since the 80s, the city has had the overall goal to foster gender equality by creating the conditions for women and men, girls and boys, to have equal power to shape society and their own lives. The Genderedlandscape Network bears witness of the commitment of the municipality to this cause: this was the first European network focused on “gender and city”. Among others, Umeå has applied the gendered approach concept to the design of a new urban park called “FRIZON - Free zone”.

The FRIZON was created by involving just girls in the co-design process, through the methodology of “inclusion (of girls) through exclusion (of boys)”, which offered the possibility for girls to share freely their wishes for this new space. One of the most important wishes expressed by girls was that they wanted a space free from expectations, where they could hang out with their friends and just be, without having to perform. A zone free from expectations, hence the name “free zone”. This particular experience was an inspiration also for the Playful Paradigm Transfer Network Second Wave, a spin off Network led by the Municipality of Udine (IT) that focused on gender sensitive approach for playgrounds and urban public spaces.

Indeed, the redesign of play places like school yards, playgrounds and recreational spaces through a gender sensitive approach can provide an important contribution to deconstruct of gender stereotypes and the inequalities starting from early age. A motion graphic called “Gender sensitive playgrounds & Urban Places” was created to raise awareness about the importance of considering the needs of girls and boys when designing places for them.  While, both editions of the Playful Paradigm Networks draw attention of cities to “play, which is essential for children’s health, physical-and emotional growth, and intellectual and educational development.

Through play, girls and boys learn about democracy, respect, and solidarity. Spaces for playing that reflect those values have a huge importance in education. Evidence has shown that there is a disproportion in the use of playgrounds and schoolyards: football pitches are often positioned in the central space hosting few athletic boys, while girls and un-sporty boys are pushed to the fringe. The redesign of play places should prioritise multiple play ‘worlds’ and gender-neutral colours, rather than a single central one, encouraging interaction between girls and boys and multiple uses of space. It should also foster creativity and engagement with nature, as well as sports and active games. This allows children to choose how to interact and play without the pressure to conform to stereotypes.

The most recent experience from Playful Paradigm also had the opportunity to follow up on the importance of “gender planning and play” by meeting the Municipality of Barcelona (ES), in July 2022. Barcelona has developed an innovative City Play Strategy that also embraces gender approaches principles. The city shared an important lesson for the Playful Paradigm’s partners, dealing with the creation of local policies and city planning strategies able to embrace play, gender and the regeneration of urban public space to guarantee the right to the city to children and the most vulnerable ones.

So, back to the question: can urban public spaces foster equality in cities? We can answer YES, they can and they should. The way public spaces are designed and managed have a huge impact on spreading democracy and embodying the inclusion of diversities, as well as considering gender needs. The #UrbanGirlsMovement, promoted by the Swedish think tank Global Utmaning shared the motto “plan a city for girls, and it will work for everyone”.

To position girls' needs at the top priority of the policy agenda, especially when focusing on low-income areas, can provide an important contribution to improve the living conditions not just for girls and women, but also for all vulnerable groups, all citizens. Guaranteeing free access to public spaces at different times of the day and night by making them beautiful and comfortable, makes everyone feels safer. Embedding the gender sensitive approach into urban planning activities can drive European cities towards inclusivity and respect for diversity, making these places where all can feel represented.

Gender is at the centre of URBACT IV activities. The current open call for Action Planning Networks is a unique opportunity to rethink how diversity, inclusion and equality can be an underlying response to wider urban issues. Check out all the gender-related proposals for networks at the Partner Search Tool and learn more about the call.

The UN-Habitat World Urban Forum is the biggest global conference on sustainable urban development, taking place every two years and gathering urban stakeholders and practitioners from across the globe. The eleventh edition (WUF11) was no different, it took place from 26 to 30 June in Katowice (Poland) in partnership with the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy and the Municipal Office of Katowice, and it was held under the theme 'Transforming our Cities for a Better Urban Future'. 

The event was a great opportunity to share and exchange on trends, challenges and opportunities for cities. The programme's representation at WUF11 shared the work done by URBACT cities during the conference's sessions, as well as through networking with current and new partner organisations and city representatives who visited our stand in the Urban Expo. More information about URBACT's sessions at WUF is available here.

What is a gender-equal city and how to become one?

URBACT hosted a training session under this title, based on the programme's work on Gender Equal Cities. It aimed at increasing participants' knowledge of gender equality as a cross-cutting issue and providing strategies and tips to mainstream it at the city level. The good practices and tools to build the capacity of city administrators to strive for equality in the city can be found in the brand new edition of the Gender Equal Cities report.

The session started with a quiz to find out who is in the room and engage with participants on gender equality in their own cities and worldwide. URBACT Programme Expert, Sally Kneeshaw, proceeded with sharing the reasons why gender equality is an important issue to be tackled also at the municipal level and the tips how to do so. One of the good practice cities on this subject is Umeå (Sweden), the Lead Partner of URBACT’s Action Planning Network GenderedLandscape. Umeå has engaged in creating a more gender equal city for 30 years, embedding the gender perspective from the political level, to urban planning and the daily work of its municipal services. Their gendered-landscape method, shared by URBACT with the participants of the training, is creating a city that belongs to everyone, and where women and girls can feel safe and thrive.

Gender mainstreaming and the case of Vienna
 

Chief Executive Officer, Executive Group for Organisation, Safety and Security, Section Gender Mainstreaming of the City of Vienna, Ursula Bauer, made an inspiring contribution by sharing the case study of gender mainstreaming in Vienna (Austria). She explained how gender mainstreaming works in practice, and stressed its five principles: 'gender-inclusive language, gender-specific data collection and analysis, equal accessibility of services for women and men, equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes and integration of gender equality in management control tools'. She also brought up the importance of gender-sensitive education, which is included in Vienna’s Education Plan, as well as gender being a subject for teacher training. The data presented also demonstrated that everyone benefits from gender equality, resulting in a higher level of municipal services, increased GDP per capita and better human development.

Tools for equality and gender-responsive public procurement

The training session continued with introducing the concept of gender-responsive public procurement as a measure of supporting gender equality at city level. URBACT has recently launched a new module for the Strategic Public Procurement Online Course on the subject, showing how to unlock the potential of public procurement for achieving gender equality. Ursula Bauer shared how this tool is being used in Vienna, from the commissioning phase, including the gender perspective requirements in the tenders for public services, providing guidelines for contractors and monitoring the results.

Finally the time has come to put the knowledge into practice! Participants worked in small groups on a gender-responsive public procurement case study. The presented scenario included designing a new bus line with gender equality commitments. Participants had to design a public consultation and think of the outcomes the tender should result in. Afterwards, the groups presented their ideas and shared feedback to the other proposals.

The training was concluded by Sally Kneeshaw with a recap of what the group has learnt and the commitments to gender equality the participants would like to bring to their cities.

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