Elizabeth Farrelly poses that as we get more connected via the internet and social networking, the female traits of connectivity and relationship-building are ascendant and may mean a new feminine paradigm for city-building.
Farrelly argues that as we leave the suburban model (which separated female and male activities, relegating women to unimportant activities) behind and life and work become more about networking and connectivity, we are moving towards a more "female-formed city":
"The principles of urbanism - intricate connectivity, engagement with history, a focus on the slow, the pedestrian, the being there (as opposed to the getting there) - are feminine values. So, it should be no surprise that many of the voices of this ''new'' urban movement, from Jane Jacobs onward, are female," writes Farrelly.
Her belief is a female-formed city would be less tall and would be "...crazed with interconnecting laneways and gardens and courtyards, lots of shared spaces..."
FULL STORY: Gender and the city
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?
Looking Beyond the 'Sidewalk Ballet:' Jane Jacobs in the 21st Century
While The Death and Life of Great American Cities remains an urban planning classic, today's planners must contend with challenges that Jacobs couldn't have anticipated.
Deconstructing Saint Jane
The iconic urban thinker has influenced generations of planners, but how do her ideas hold up in an age of massive upheaval and economic inequality?
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
A new state law requires all Washington cities to allow co-living facilities in areas zoned for multifamily housing.
NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.
The City of Broken Sidewalks
Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?
Study: Automobile Dependency Reduces Life Satisfaction
Automobile dependency has negative implications for wellbeing. This academic study finds that relying on a car for more than 50 percent of out-of-home travel is associated with significant reductions in life satisfaction.
San Diego School District Could Accelerate Workforce Housing Program
A proposal to build housing on five district-owned properties could yield 1,000 housing units for low- and moderate-income district employees.
Denver Transit Board Approves $1.2 Billion Budget
The 2025 budget for the Regional Transportation District is the largest in the agency’s 55-year history.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
City of Laramie
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners