Making Transport Systems for all a reality – Gender-Responsive Urban Mobility Planning

Sustainable transport and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals depend crucially upon increased women’s participation in mobility planning. However, the reality in many cities around the world still limits women’s involvement in the planning and implementation of transport systems, resulting in restrictingthe gender-responsiveness of mobility. At the same time, mobility data is not inclusive and therefore, does not reflect the mobility needs of diverse groups of women across age, socio-economic class and other factors..

Studies have shown that women have different travel needs from men due to their traditional double burden of paid work and care work, and thus the additional responsibilities of caring for children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Complex trip chains and travelling off-peak hours characterize women’s mobility. Furthermore, 3 out of 5 women worldwide have experienced sexual harassment on public transport. If transport systems are not responsive to these needs, women are excluded from accessing health care, education, employment and other opportunities. This reality reduces women’s and girls’ freedom of movement and their participation in public life. The lack of consideration of gender issues in transport planning results in inefficient, inaccessible and unsustainable transport hindering the achievement of SDG 11.2.

It is critical to include women in all steps of mobility planning and implementation, as well as empowering women’s leadership to ensure their participation at the decision-making table. Only when diverse groups of women are involved in the entire process will policy, planning and design reflect the diverse needs of the population.
Further, it is crucial for a wide range of stakeholders including government, private sector, industry and civil society organisations to build multi-level partnerships and governance towards sustainable outcomes. We need to develop innovative models of collaboration to enhance synergy between local governments, businesses and civil society for the realisation of sustainable and inclusive urban futures. The locus of change must be at the local government level empowering local stakeholders and fostering citizen engagement. It is important to highlight the element of localisation of the initiatives as well as their adaptability to different contexts.

The integration of the gender dimension in mobility has gained recognition over the last few years, with gender & mobility discussions taking place under the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative’s - Women Mobilize Women conference, research conducted by the FIA Foundation, the Women in Motion group in Latin America, the annual FLONE Women and Transport Africa conference, the newly created Women on the Move network in Asia, as well as on the ground projects by Safetipin and UN-Habitat. Each of the partners has innovative solutions and networks to take forward these agendas and the event will be an opportunity to share this and engage with a wide range of stakeholders and contexts.