According to the World Bank, women’s needs and desires were not considered when modern cities were planned (2020). Due to that, young women and girls are the ones who will continue to be the most affected by the challenges in the context of the current and anticipated social, urban and environmental crisis.
For this, the project “DiverCity: Inclusive cities for the youth” focuses on the participation of young women and girls from diverse backgrounds in urban planning (without excluding male and non-binary participants). Adding the gender perspective in urban planning and participatory tools/methodologies can help us rethink and redesign our cities by putting our diverse everyday lives in the centre. This approach will result in more safe, accessible, and comfortable urban spaces for all people in the future.
“The city makes me feel tired. All the time. As a woman, I have to claim my space all the time. I have to take care of myself in public spaces, because many sidewalks are not maintained, and they’re dangerous to walk through. I’ve broken my leg twice trying to catch the bus. I have to be cautious in case someone is following me and might want to hurt me. I’m tired, I’m really tired. The city tires me!”
We emphasise the active engagement of these groups by using various, engaging, and playful participatory planning tools, appealing to the youth. Specifically, during the project, we have:
- Generated a network of organisations and individuals focusing on youth, gender perspective, participation, and city-making.
- Travelled and got inspired by the city example of each organisation we work with.
- Shared knowledge by bringing together experiences, tools, and methodologies into a shared ToolBox.
- Trained each other as organisations from all over Europe working with communities and collaborating with each other to create a local positive impact.
- Implemented participatory urban planning activities with young women and girls (and other potential participants) in 4 European cities (Athens, Weimar, Sabadell, Brussels).
- Worked with young women and girls towards empowerment and active participation in urban planning processes while providing them with a “safe and brave space” to talk and express their needs and desires.
- Created an online GuideBook with the participatory urban planning tools and methodology we will use during the project.
- Organised the Multiplier Event, which will be held on Thrursday 27 June 2024, in Athens.
DiverCity in Athens!
After researching, being inspired by the examples of other cities and multicultural neighbourhoods, discussing, and creating new tools, we implemented in our field, Athens, interventions for young women. Specifically, we:
- Designed and implemented participatory neighbourhood workshops with young women living and/or working in Pagrati (February – May, 2024).
- Conducted exploratory walks and shared experiences from everyday life and suggestions for changes in Pagrati.
- Together with the participants of the workshops, using participatory budgeting, we designed a small festival, the PagratiFem Project, which took place on June 1st in Messolonghi Square (Pagrati) and discussed with women residents of all ages the difficulties they face in their neighbourhoods.
- Informed and raised awareness regarding the gender perspective in urban planning to the women of Pagrati, by discussing the ways in which they can participate more actively in the decision making centres, in order to make the neighbourhoods more friendly to the needs of their everyday life.
The tools, activities and results of the DiverCity project have been collected in a guidebook that you can read here!
European project – Erasmus+
Period: February 2023 – September 2024
Participants: young women, teenagers, and girls
The project is an Erasmus+ funding project for education, training, youth, and sport, by the EU, under the Call: 2022 Round 3 KA210-YOU – Small-scale partnerships in youth.
In collaboration with the organisations Estel (Spain), Culture Goes Europe – CGE (Germany), Urban Foxes (Belgium).