I recently read an article about how it is difficult to design infrastructure and public space to accommodate for vulnerable groups, especially in areas of the world where women have less power. The author goes on to explain how at an early age girls are taught to handle sexual harassment like cat calling. In New Delhi there have been many neighborhood meetings to assess how safe public spaces actually feel. One aspect they discussed was public restrooms and how their are no ways to dispose of feminine hygiene products and women will be forced to go into an ally or a field to use the restroom and automatically become vulnerable. Since this is the case in many areas around India, it forces women to take less care of themselves. There is a fear of using a public restroom by yourself so if you don't eat or drink you won't have to go, ultimately leading to malnutrition and dehydration.
While the article discusses mostly public restrooms, they also discuss "loitering spaces" where men usually just hang out. In India, you would usually only see men in these public spaces because it is not acceptable for women to hang out there or because they have a fear of the space.
A group of planners in Austria had observed parks and noticed that girls stop hanging out in parks around the age of 10 mostly because the boys would be more assertive of the space. They decided to design a group of parks that would attract girls and make them feel safe and as if they belonged. They decided to install high perches and chain link fences so they don't feel trapped, also adding more street lights to make them feel safe.
There was no assessment of the parks they created but I found it interesting that two very different parts of the world were experiencing similar problems. Unfortunately, I do not think that there will be as much action done in India just because of the social climate and the fact that women really do not have much power in India. I also read a few other articles which discussed how to make public spaces safer for women in general. Mainly just better lighting, open space to observe your surroundings, and better public transportation. It is good that people are finally realizing there needs to be some change but unfortunately there is not much being done about the problem.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/how-city-planners-could-help-women-feel-safer-1.2790046
Sophia, I found it interesting that India was focusing on the built environment in this article. It reminded me of our reading about how the most important change in regards to reducing women's fear is the society itself. Although the built environment is often a reflection of the society, it is important to remember that things such as streetlights don't really make a place any safer. This is the same approach that many others take and it seems that they are trying to offer simple solutions to complex problems. Designing public spaces for women is a step in the right direction, but it's clear that society still has a long way to go.
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ReplyDeleteI have been inconvenienced by the lack of a proper disposal method for feminine products in public restrooms, yet it has never greatly affected my comfort in public space. I could understand why women may avoid public restrooms that lack such amenities for the inconvenience it causes, and how it works to make women feel as if they are not welcome in public space. The implementation of such opportunities for disposal should be uniform across all public restrooms, for the comfort of women everywhere. I also recognize that this may encourage use of outdoor space to use the bathroom, however I am not sure I agree with the idea that this makes women more vulnerable to assault in public space. This seems like a subtle form of victim blaming, asserting that women who alleviate themselves outdoors are decreasing their own safety and making themselves more vulnerable to sexual harassment and violence. Regardless of where women use the bathroom, what they are or are not wearing, and any other aspect of their themselves and their appearance, they are not the ones who are to blame for the violence that is perpetrated against them. The assaulter is always to blame. I agree with Helaine that designing public space to make women feel safer and discourage assault by eliminating spaces to hide or invisibly loiter is a step in the right direction. However, it does little to undermine the deeply entrenched patriarchy that allows men time after time to abuse women without regret or fear of consequence. We can improve lighting all we want, but as long as rape culture is allowed to flourish and women are viewed as inferior to men, women will not feel safe in public space, and rightfully so.
Perhaps what I was trying to say did not come off exactly correct. The assaulter is always to blame and I am not victim blaming. I am simply explaining what was discussed in the article. I know that lights do not inherently make a space safer but in some cases it may make others feel more comfortable walking at night. I do think we should educate men rather than encouraging women to "watch out" which is not what I was saying at all.
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