VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Today, more and more women are participating in education and the economy beside men in the city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. On the other hand, there are also increased restrictions imposed on women’s presence in ‘public’ in forms of religious conservatism, social deviance, etc. While the city is manifesting the visions of becoming a global city, the visible rise in harassment and rape incidents in the ‘public’ testifies that women- a majority of its user, are not ‘free’. The aim of the study is to make visible women’s limitations throughout their everyday encounter with outdoor public spaces mainly around the notion of gender-based crimes. More importantly, it aims to deeply connect and interpret the factors shaping the gendered spatial imaginary expanding from our deep-seated cultural and religious perceptions and norms that are practiced since history. It believes, that following the western notions of development have repercussions in this particular context and to impact lives on the ground for real it’s high time the city formulates its own conceptions in order to make the city livable for women. This study builds upon the experiences of different women representing middle-income strata, gathered through an online questionnaire survey and a group discussion. It ultimately attempts to identify potential liberating spaces for women in terms of safety and an overall framework of agency (by freedom of mobility and access) within the field of city planning and design by locating gender-based crimes as the social production of space.