Women and Social Sustainability: A Critical Parametric Evaluation of Urban Settings in Developing Countries

Abstract

Attainment of social sustainability became a focused agenda ever since the United Nations general assembly (UNGA) adopted SDG goals in 2015. Sustainability is an umbrella concept cutting across public, commercial, and environmental domains. However, the idea is still perceived and seen as very narrow and synonymous with eco-friendly only. Gender issues still remain ignored in both academic and applied research as a contributing parameter towards sustainable development. Barely any field of knowledge is working on those concerns. Women empowerment and counterbalancing rigid patriarchy are still perceived as a research area for social sciences rather than holistic understanding and application by other academic disciplines. Urban planning needs a multidisciplinary approach that integrates with various other domains. It demands an amalgamation of analysis and application from multiple perspectives and considerations. The critical phase for urban planning, especially women's sensitivity, is mostly missing in developing nations like India. Despite women having a more generous and vital contribution toward a city's growth in cultural and economic terms, they have been under constant subjugation of brutality and suppression. Thus, the city planning process is perpetuating gender disparity, if not promoting explicitly. This study starts with a hypothesis, i.e., "ill-conceived urban planning has a huge stake in prevailing urban crime against women."The research would later analyze and determine the flaws and loopholes in the planning process, which are in practice. Such lacks in the framework will create cities/urban areas that pose a severe safety and security threat. So, the gender layer during those planning processes may increase gender sensitivity toward women. The research will also explore essential concepts such as universal design and crime reduction through environmental design (CPTED) to assess women-friendly cities' applicability. Thus, this approach can help deduce planning strategies to create inclusive cities, including urban social sustainability.