Building Inclusive Cities: Women’s Safety and the Right to the City

Building on a growing movement within developing countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, as well as Europe and North America, this book documents cutting edge practice and builds theory around a rights based approach to women’s safety in the context of poverty reduction and social inclusion. Drawing upon two decades of research and grassroots action on safer cities for women and everyone, this book is about the right to an inclusive city.

The first part of the book describes the challenges that women face regarding access to essential services, housing security, liveability and mobility. The second part of the book critically examines programs, projects and ideas that are working to make cities safer.

Building Inclusive Cities takes a cross-cultural learning perspective from action research occurring throughout the world and translates this research into theoretical conceptualizations to inform the literature on planning and urban management in both developing and developed countries. This book is intended to inspire both thought and action.

Carolyn Whitzman is Associate Professor in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne. She is the author of The Handbook of Community Safety, Gender, and Violence Prevention (Earthscan, 2008) and has authored and contributed to several leading texts on safe cities.

Crystal Legacy is a Research Associate at the City Futures Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. Crystal completed her PhD in urban planning from the University of Melbourne in 2010.

Caroline Andrew is the Director of the Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa, and is currently Chair of the Board of Women in Cities International. Her research interests are in the relationships between community-based equity seeking groups and municipal governments.

Fran Klodawsky is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa. Her feminist geographic research and writing has focused on the intersections of identity, housing and homelessness, governance and social inequalities.

Margaret Shaw is a sociologist and criminologist who works as an independent consultant, and is currently a Fellow at the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime in Montreal, where she was Director of Analysis and Exchange from 1999 to 2011. She is a Board Member of Women in Cities International.

Kalpana Viswanath is an expert on gender and urban safety and has led the Gender Inclusive Cities Programme of Women in Cities International. She is also Senior Advisor to the Safe Cities Programme of Jagori in Delhi.