City Prosperity Peaks under Female Leadership, New Data Suggests
In a significant move towards promoting gender equality in urban planning, "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation" by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett is set to hit the shelves on 1 October, priced at £38. Published by RIBA Publishing, the book is the third instalment from the Bruntletts, following Building the Cycling City (2018) and Curbing Traffic (2021).
The book profiles nineteen inspiring women who are spearheading urban transformation across the globe. However, the names of these women remain undisclosed in available sources.
One of the women profiled is Janette Sadik-Khan, the principal at Bloomberg Associates and former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation. Sadik-Khan argues that the global transportation revolution isn't coming from engineers in Detroit or techies in Silicon Valley, but from women taking action around the world.
The book features case studies from cities as diverse as Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, Brussels, Bogota, Montréal, Tirana, Manila, México City, Kampala, and Delhi. In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo transformed the city into a city for passing time, introducing cycling infrastructure, pedestrian streets, and public transport. Barcelona's former deputy mayor of ecology and mobility, Janet Sanz, reclaimed a million square metres of space for pedestrians using the 'Superblock' intervention.
In Bogotá, former Mayor Claudia López created community assets called 'Care Blocks' to reduce the burden of unpaid household tasks and create economic opportunities for the city's four million women. In Tirana, Deputy Mayor Anuela Ristani introduced a child-friendly lens to the planning processes, investing heavily in public playgrounds, school streets, and traffic gardens.
The book argues that cities become more livable when women take the lead in urban transformation. Having women's voices included in the transport and urban development sectors is not only fair, it is smart, according to Claudia Adriazola-Steil, deputy director of the Urban Mobility Program at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities of the World Resources Institute.
There's mounting evidence that cities designed for and by women take a more intersectional approach to finding solutions, inadvertently or deliberately making conditions better for everyone regardless of their age, gender identity, ability, race, or economic means. These measures are shown to contribute to more vibrant and flourishing places, focused on better walking, cycling, and public transport conditions, and more inviting public spaces.
However, the representation of women in leadership roles in urban planning and architecture remains dismal. Only 25 of the world's 300 largest cities have female mayors, and just 5% of municipal leadership positions and 10% of the highest-ranking roles in top global architecture and urban planning firms are filled by women.
The book also highlights the courage and determination of women like Elke van den Brandt, Brussels' mobility minister, who faces death threats while working on transforming the car-choked European capital into a city for people. Montreal's Mayor Valérie Plante rolled out the most ambitious car-free scheme in North America, pedestrianising more than five miles along 11 different commercial arteries each summer.
"Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation" is a testament to the power of women in shaping our cities for the better. It serves as a call to action for greater gender equality in urban planning and architecture, and a reminder of the positive impact that women's leadership can have on our cities and our lives.
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