What is a Gender Walk?
Gender Walk is a group walk designed for residents to explore their urban environment together. With emphasis placed on gender-related issues, this method has been developed within the frame of a ‘Gender-inclusive Cities’ research project at Northumbria University, and positions itself within the problem field of gender-based differences and inequalities in cities. Our study aims to pave the pathway to achieve spatial justice through gender-sensitive city planning by giving agency and ownership to women towards the cities they inhabit.
Why Gender Walks as a Research Tool?
The complexity of intersectional gender analysis is challenging, especially when it comes to finding effective strategies in planning and design practice. Social constructions, cultural organisation, normative perspectives, the multiplicity of identities and place-specific circumstances are strongly interlocked and thus difficult to analyse or work on separately. Gender walks is a research tool that can incorporate the consideration of the complexity, without having to completely anatomise or solve it. It is potential lies in narrowing down the area and with it the number of stakeholders and diversity of individuals. With the perspective of introducing a direct connection between people and the examination of the issue.
Why Should I Participate in the Walk?
The objective of the walk is to acquire knowledge from local people. We welcome anyone interested in sharing opinions, knowledge or personal experiences on gender-inclusive city planning to join the walk at Newcastle City Centre following a route on the map (as attached). Your participation is extremely important for this research, as it offers us a strong empirical base and good inspiration for gender- and diversity-sensitive urban design proposals to be based on.
How to Participate?
We will have the first walk on the 27th of May (11:00 am). This walk will last for between 60-90 minutes covering all 10 locations on the map below, then it will be followed by a 1-hour ‘post-walk’ workshop at the Northumbria University. After the workshop, we will then head to the Magic Hat Café for lunch together.
Please register for one of these Gender Walks via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gender-walk-newcastle-city-centre-tickets-324905480037
Or scan the Eventbrite QR code here:
