Exploring Urban Spaces with a Gender Perspective

DiverCity's Training of the Trainers in Sabadell

From September 25th to 27th, an exciting and enlightening event unfolded in the charming city of Sabadell — the Training of the Trainers for the DiverCity project. A total of 14 passionate individuals representing four dedicated organizations — Estel (Spain), Urbana (Greece), CGE (Germany), and Urban Foxes (Belgium) — gathered to embark on a journey of knowledge exchange, tool testing, and tool creation.

The training aimed to empower youth workers with innovative urban perspectives, testing the waters of a unique toolbox and forging new tools. The journey began with a comprehensive introduction to urbanism through a gender lens and the art of placemaking tailored for young people.

 

 

But this wasn't just any training — it was an opportunity to hit the streets of Sabadell and explore the city through the gender perspective. The experiences and discoveries were nothing short of captivating. Despite the high quality and comfort of some primary public spaces, an intriguing revelation surfaced — there was a notable absence of female representation in the public domain, spanning from posters and statues to street names.

Here's a glimpse of the tools that were put to the test during these enlightening days:

Gender-Equal Citymaking Recommendations Map

The activity promotes gender equality by examining male-dominated place names and sharing findings. It collects opinions, sparks debates, and transfers workshop recommendations. The tool aims to develop a collective, digital, interactive map with testimonies from women/groups in various countries.

Exploratory Walks

Participatory exploratory walks generate rich data on city experiences, utilizing route and public space mapping. Urban quality indicators, including security and accessibility, inform the collected insights on needs and desires. The compiled report empowers local stakeholders, particularly the Municipality, to enhance public spaces.

 

GenderScape: Mapping the Symbolic Terrain

The Place Identity and Symbolism Map examines gender dynamics in a public space, emphasizing women's representation and symbolism. It analyzes visual art, historical narratives, and community engagement to understand gender influences on identity and experiences. The tool aims to promote gender-inclusive decision-making processes.

 

Empathy Map For Placemaking

This empathy-focused activity addresses women's struggles, especially in public safety. It includes discussions on empathy, misogyny, and sexism in placemaking, followed by writing about personal experiences with public places. Participants interview each other to understand each other's perspectives. A group discussion explores lessons learned, ways to promote empathy, and solutions to address placemaking issues raised by participants.

The Privilege/Oppression Pie

The Privileges and Oppressions Exercise promotes understanding of individual and group positionality. Participants place red stickers on personal privileges and blue on oppressions on a pie chart canvas. It visualizes positionality and encourages open discussions. Suitable for both group and individual use.

 

 

Guerrilla Street Sign Campaign

A guerrilla action that can be prepared by the local groups, including research on data regarding the lack of equality in the street names, squares and subway stations. The reasons behind it, and additional research to look into the actions and achievements of (local) women that can be potential candidates to receive a guerrilla nameplate/street sign. The groups can be part of all the different steps of the way, including research, design of the signs and the hanging of the signs.

 

 

The participants not only delved into testing these tools but also seized the opportunity to refine and enhance them. Moreover, their creativity blossomed as they collaboratively birthed two brand-new tools:

ReClaim Her Space - Hear Her Story

"Hear Herstory" empowers young girls to express their experiences in public spaces, ultimately fostering a sense of belonging and increasing visibility for gender equality.

 

 

Memory Makeover

Memory Makeover is a creative tool designed to negotiate with the memory embedded in public spaces. It encourages communities to re-imagine and revitalize historical places, promoting inclusivity and fostering new narratives that reflect evolving perspectives and values.

 

In the upcoming months, these four organizations will take these invaluable tools back to their local communities. With the aid of their youth teams, they will utilize participatory budgeting to diagnose and propose improvements for their public spaces. This proactive approach will culminate in a series of actions designed to raise awareness in the public domain.

 

 

Furthermore, after each stimulating session, the project coordinators held transnational meetings. During these discussions, the Training of Trainers was dissected, and the project's next steps were meticulously organized.

 

 

Stay tuned as DiverCity's impactful journey continues, reshaping public spaces and perceptions one tool at a time. 💫🏙️