Gendered urban fear: understanding female students’ inhibitions in the public space

Abstract

The literature has shown that cities are experienced differently by men and women, and that women’s access to spaces and opportunities is at times compromised by feelings of insufficient safety and a lack of inclusivity in the urban setting. This paper attempts to examine the extent to which this is the case in Florence. Focusing on female students at the University of Florence and the ways in which they choose to move around the city, as well as the places and pastimes they favour or avoid, the article searches for possible connections between feelings of fear or safety and the different environments that young women experience when moving through the city.