IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

Inclusive urban development has established gender mainstreaming as a central concern within planning and policy frameworks (United Nations, 1995; Stadt Wien, 2020). Many cities have introduced gender-sensitive perspectives into public space planning to enhance spatial equity through public participation (Tummers et al., 2019; Terraza et al., 2020). As cities undergo digital transformation, new digital tools have expanded the possibilities for participation. However, from a gender-sensitive perspective, how digital tools are applied in participatory urban planning lacks systematic exploration (Chang et al., 2022). Through a qualitative comparison of three international cases, this study rethinks the diverse roles and mechanisms of digital participation in gender-sensitive public space planning. This research analyzes three representative projects: YourGround (Australia), DraußenDaheim (Austria), and Her City (UN-Habitat). These three projects all use digital technologies to address the neglect of women’s needs in urban planning, but they encompass diverse digital interventions, including place-based crowd-mapping, scenario-based spatial analysis, and structured participatory guidance. These cases demonstrate that digital participation is not a uniform intervention but rather plays different roles in various forms depending on the context. Digital participation itself cannot guarantee inclusive or gender-sensitive outcomes (Chang et al., 2022). Its impact largely depends on aligning the specific functions of digital tools with the appropriate stages of the planning context. This study highlights the complexity of digital tools and the importance of digital participation in achieving spatial equity. On this basis, it theoretically deepens the understanding of the participation mechanisms, providing critical insights and practical implications for integrating gender perspectives into planning practices.