Towards a safer city for women
A public toilet with hooks behind the door or a closet for women's handbags, and street lights pointed at the footpaths instead of being fixed on dividers, are just some of the designs presented by the Gender and Policy Lab (GPL) of Greater Chennai Corporation in its manual on inclusive infrastructure.
This manual takes into account the safety and other needs of women, as well as those of persons with disabilities.
"Women use public toilets more than men, but there are invariably two men's toilets, including a urinal, as against one for women," says Vaishnavi Chidambaranathan, Policy Expert at GPL. "In the case of bus shelters, good lighting is crucial. The empty lots behind bus shelters shouldn't be dead spaces so that they remain safe for everyone."
As for parks, women mostly come with their children and hence look for play equipment, she says.
"Open gyms in parks should also take into account women's specific needs."
The project will span parks, beaches, streets, public shelters, open and closed markets, urban delivery centres, subways, foot overbridges, spaces under flyovers, and transit hubs. The keywords are safety, comfort, and accessibility. Once these components are integrated, women will automatically start using public spaces more, which will lead to better safety overall, says Vaishnavi.
"That would be the ideal outcome.
"
Research shows 80% of women rate Chennai as a safe city, and hence it is ahead in terms of mobility and affordability for women. "But there are several areas where we can do better," says Vaishnavi. "We are not trying to get women out of their homes; we are trying to make their experiences in public spaces better."
The inclusive recommendations are already being integrated into new bus shelters, parks, and footpath designs, and are also being used to improve existing infrastructure.
Recently, 250 engineers from 15 zones of the GCC were provided with training on embedding inclusive design principles into everyday infrastructure.
As part of the launch of the manual, a photography exhibition, Aval Idam, is on at the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS Park in Chennai. The photographs, the outcome of an open submission call, depict women occupying public spaces for leisure, commute, work, and more. "About 21 artists have captured the way women navigate, engage with, and shape Chennai's public spaces," says Gayatri Nair, Founder of Kala Collective, which has collaborated with the GPL for the project.
The exhibition is on until June 15.
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The Hindu
2 days ago
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Tamil Nadu's first ‘Inclusive Design Manual' by Chennai Corporation hopes to make city accessible to all
Across Chennai, many adjust their routines every day, avoiding dim streets, skipping a park visit, or simply staying home. This is not because they want to. It is because the city, by design, is not aligned to their needs. As part of upgrading city amenities, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) recently released the State's first Inclusive Urban Design Manual. The document has data-driven guidelines, placing women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities (PwDs), and gender-diverse people at the centre of urban infrastructure planning. Kalaivani, who works as a nurse at a private hospital in Mettukuppam, said she preferred to cross the road at the traffic signal at night rather than use the nearby foot overbridge. 'I would rather walk than use the bridge with people loitering around.' Aiswarya Rao, founder of Better World Shelter for Women with Disabilities of Dorcas Research Centre, commended the initiative for addressing gender and accessibility concerns in urban planning. 'This is the first time gender is being discussed meaningfully in relation to city spaces. Beach access ramps were set up in two areas, and plans are afoot for one on Thiruvanmiyur beach. Women-only gyms were also established,' she said. However, she acknowledged that Chennai is still a difficult space for PwDs — public toilets remain largely inaccessible, and many roads, parks, and schools do not meet the basic accessibility standards. For instance, pointing to an audit conducted by the centre last year, she said, not a single GCC-run school was fully accessible to PwDs. She also raised concerns about the installation of bollards on footpaths, which restricted wheelchair mobility. D. Gnana Bharathi, a principal scientist at the Central Leather Research Institute who lives with a disability, said the flooring on the ramp at Chennai Central Station posed difficulties. 'The surface is not smooth, and the height difference is around one centimetre. This is said to be installed with the intention of minimising skidding, but an anti-skid or rough-finished surface would have been a better alternative,' he said. He added that the existing tile flooring could be particularly challenging for people with bone-related conditions, as a corrugated or uneven surface becomes difficult to navigate. Field audits covering youth, conservancy workers, women with disabilities, trans and non-binary persons, women traffic police, and more than 725 design evaluations were done to curate the manual. This has ready-to-apply solutions — from guidelines on footpaths and location of toilets, to street lighting and signage — so that the public infrastructure is accessible for every one in the city. It also specifies certain norms for different public utilities. In a note in the manual, Mayor R. Priya wrote: that change begins at home, and that parents must raise their girl children as equally as the boys and not discriminate. She also said people must understand that people must not judge women for their dress and attitude. 'If a woman speaks loudly, it must be understood that it is her characteristic,' she said.'Our parks, playgrounds, streets, bus stops, shelters for homeless persons, and e-Sevai Maiyams are not just facilities — they are essential public services and lifelines. These spaces must serve everyone equally, irrespective of gender, age, ability, or economic background.'
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
GCC's ‘Inclusive Design Manual' hopes to make the city accessible to all
Across Chennai, many adjust their routines every day, avoiding dim streets, skipping a park visit, or simply staying home. This is not because they want to. It is because the city, by design, is not aligned to their needs. As part of upgrading city amenities, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) recently released the State's first Inclusive Urban Design Manual. The document has data-driven guidelines, placing women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities (PwDs), and gender-diverse people at the centre of urban infrastructure planning. Kalaivani, who works as a nurse at a private hospital in Mettukuppam, said she preferred to cross the road at the traffic signal at night rather than use the nearby foot overbridge. 'I would rather walk than use the bridge with people loitering around.' Aiswarya Rao, founder of Better World Shelter for Women with Disabilities of Dorcas Research Centre, commended the initiative for addressing gender and accessibility concerns in urban planning. 'This is the first time gender is being discussed meaningfully in relation to city spaces. Beach access ramps were set up in two areas, and plans are afoot for one on Thiruvanmiyur beach. Women-only gyms were also established,' she said. However, she acknowledged that Chennai is still a difficult space for PwDs — public toilets remain largely inaccessible, and many roads, parks, and schools do not meet the basic accessibility standards. For instance, pointing to an audit conducted by the centre last year, she said, not a single GCC-run school was fully accessible to PwDs. She also raised concerns about the installation of bollards on footpaths, which restricted wheelchair mobility. D. Gnana Bharathi, a principal scientist at the Central Leather Research Institute who lives with a disability, said the flooring on the ramp at Chennai Central Station posed difficulties. 'The surface is not smooth, and the height difference is around one centimetre. This is said to be installed with the intention of minimising skidding, but an anti-skid or rough-finished surface would have been a better alternative,' he said. He added that the existing tile flooring could be particularly challenging for people with bone-related conditions, as a corrugated or uneven surface becomes difficult to navigate. Field audits covering youth, conservancy workers, women with disabilities, trans and non-binary persons, women traffic police, and more than 725 design evaluations were done to curate the manual. This has ready-to-apply solutions — from guidelines on footpaths and location of toilets, to street lighting and signage — so that the public infrastructure is accessible for every one in the city. It also specifies certain norms for different public utilities. In a note in the manual, Mayor R. Priya wrote: that change begins at home, and that parents must raise their girl children as equally as the boys and not discriminate. She also said people must understand that people must not judge women for their dress and attitude. 'If a woman speaks loudly, it must be understood that it is her characteristic,' she said.'Our parks, playgrounds, streets, bus stops, shelters for homeless persons, and e-Sevai Maiyams are not just facilities — they are essential public services and lifelines. These spaces must serve everyone equally, irrespective of gender, age, ability, or economic background.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Towards a safer city for women
A public toilet with hooks behind the door or a closet for women's handbags, and street lights pointed at the footpaths instead of being fixed on dividers, are just some of the designs presented by the Gender and Policy Lab (GPL) of Greater Chennai Corporation in its manual on inclusive infrastructure. This manual takes into account the safety and other needs of women, as well as those of persons with disabilities. "Women use public toilets more than men, but there are invariably two men's toilets, including a urinal, as against one for women," says Vaishnavi Chidambaranathan, Policy Expert at GPL. "In the case of bus shelters, good lighting is crucial. The empty lots behind bus shelters shouldn't be dead spaces so that they remain safe for everyone." As for parks, women mostly come with their children and hence look for play equipment, she says. "Open gyms in parks should also take into account women's specific needs." The project will span parks, beaches, streets, public shelters, open and closed markets, urban delivery centres, subways, foot overbridges, spaces under flyovers, and transit hubs. The keywords are safety, comfort, and accessibility. Once these components are integrated, women will automatically start using public spaces more, which will lead to better safety overall, says Vaishnavi. "That would be the ideal outcome. " Research shows 80% of women rate Chennai as a safe city, and hence it is ahead in terms of mobility and affordability for women. "But there are several areas where we can do better," says Vaishnavi. "We are not trying to get women out of their homes; we are trying to make their experiences in public spaces better." The inclusive recommendations are already being integrated into new bus shelters, parks, and footpath designs, and are also being used to improve existing infrastructure. Recently, 250 engineers from 15 zones of the GCC were provided with training on embedding inclusive design principles into everyday infrastructure. As part of the launch of the manual, a photography exhibition, Aval Idam, is on at the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS Park in Chennai. The photographs, the outcome of an open submission call, depict women occupying public spaces for leisure, commute, work, and more. "About 21 artists have captured the way women navigate, engage with, and shape Chennai's public spaces," says Gayatri Nair, Founder of Kala Collective, which has collaborated with the GPL for the project. The exhibition is on until June 15.
