| Event | Mutations Engendering Cities Driving Gender Inclusion for Better Cities |
| Subject | Mutations |
| Session | 2024 |
| Year | 2023-24 |
| Date | 12th to 18th March, 2024 |
| Time | 10:00 a.m. Onwards |
| Venue | M.Arch. Studio II |
| Faculty M. Arch. Course Co-ordinator | Prof. Harshada Katkar |
| Team | Principal Dr. Sudnya Mahimkar, Prof. Sasmit Acharekar, Prof. Snehal Ghag |
| Guest Speaker | Akshara Foundation |
AKSHARA CENTRE
Engendering Cities – Driving Gender Inclusion for Better Cities Workshop
Introduction:
With growing urbanisation, cities create a dichotomous and complex condition for its citizens. On one hand, it offers employment opportunities for all including women and on the other hand there are infrastructure provision deficits and challenges, especially in transportation, housing and amenities. Where does gender, women, and women’s rights factor into this complex process? Among all attempts towards city planning, the aspirations of the women in a city are yet to be realised as they have largely been excluded from the project of city making. There are challenges but also great opportunities for urban transformation, inclusion and change. How will the “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and settlements” expressed in Sustainable Development Goal 11, be fully integrated with the vision of gender equality articulated in Sustainable Development Goal 5? The workshop is an attempt to engage students to address some of the questions with the design and planning tools.
Aim & Objective:
The workshop aims to sensitise the students about the need for gender inclusive planning by using tools at the city/ regional, urban design and architectural building scale. It will concentrate on the Urban Design scale and take a sectoral approach in assessment of transport, social, governance and design of a brownfield area and to ensure safety and inclusivity in a Greenfield area. It will enable the students to know and use the tools for preparing a gender inclusive plan through a hands-on exercise.
Methodology & process:
The process to be followed in the workshop included:
- Knowledge sharing: Experience sharing about the urgent need for gender inclusion through various research, surveys and projects carried out by Akshara Centre with a focus on the development plan process for gender amenity inclusion.
- Through design and planning: Imparting of Gender planning methods at various levels by recognising, advocating, planning, policy making, surveys, designing, retrofitting, etc.
- Using audit and analysis tools: Sharing of audit surveys devised by Akshara through case studies and applying in the local street.
Academic and Professional Development & expected learnings through the Workshop:
Most of the city vision documents talk about gender inclusion, equality and provisioning of amenities catering to all. There is however a gap between the document and the on-ground situation. The workshop intended to help the students to know the need for gender inclusive planning and the tools to prepare such a plan. It would guide and engage them to know the following:
- What is a gender transformative / inclusive/ sensitive city?
- What role do urban professionals play in ensuring a safe and inclusive plan?
- How can professionals prepare a gender inclusive design?
Pre-work:
Identified site for hands-on exercise:
Day wise sessions:
Day 1 – Tuesday, 12th March 2024
- Presentation by Snehal Velkar, Akshara Centre
Introduction
– Orientation exercises and presentations by Snehal Velkar, Akshara Centre
– Need for gender inclusive/ sensitive city
– Efforts made by Akshara Centre
(i) Mobility through various agencies
(ii) DP
– Audit survey parameters
Day 2 – Wednesday, 13th March 2024
- Presentation by Prachi Merchant:
– Gender inclusive planning
– Role of an Urban Planner, Urban Designer and an Architect
– Planning and designing tools: Greenfield, Brownfield. - Introduction to the exercise through case study:
– Mind map of the street/ photograph/ observations
– Conducting gender audit survey
– Listing of stakeholders
– Exercise discussion
Day 3 – Thursday, 14th March 2024
- Site visit and documentation on the parameters discussed
- Interviews of stakeholders
- Secondary research
Day 4 – Friday, 15th March 2024
Site findings Presentation and interaction
Day 5 – Monday, 18th March 2024
- Finalise map for issues and proposals/li>
- Presentation and interaction /li>
- Document submission/li>
- Certificate distribution
Take Away:
Students were receptive during interactions. Engaging interactions are needed for the betterment of studio works. To enhance grasping, peer learning techniques are to be developed.
About Akshara centre:
Akshara Centre is a Mumbai based, not for profit organisation working for gender justice through multiple interventions and partnerships. Over the past two decades, Akshara has provided scholarships to over 5000 underprivileged girls who have been able to access higher education and life skills. It has trained over 25000 Gender Champions, both young women and men in low resource colleges in the prevention of sexual harassment and gender equality. Besides ground level community work, Akshara takes empowerment awareness to the level of the neighborhood and the city with the goal of making city safe and inclusive for women.
The organization has extended its impact beyond the local community by actively participating in national and international networks. Serving as a member on the Civil Society Advisory Group of UN Women 2013-18, World social forum, One billion rising, Akshara Centre plays a pivotal role in global advocacy for gender empowerment.
Know about keynote speakers:
Snehal Velkar, Akshara Foundation
Academic background: M.A Social Work, (Specialization in Medical and Psychiatry), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, 2005 (Deemed University). www.tiss.edu
Work Experience:
Snehal Velkar is currently working as a Program Lead for Safe and Inclusive Cities at Akshara Centre and as a POSH Consultant for private and government organizations. She has work experience of more than 16 years in dealing and understanding violence against women. She is skilled in providing better services for women facing violence. Her profile also includes work with various stakeholders at different levels i.e., with Mumbai and Maharashtra Police, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Journalist, Judiciary, Transport Authority, Private organization etc. Along with this she earned training, M&E, research analysis and promoting skills too and has also co-authored articles and report on issues of Sexual Harassment at Workplace, Reproductive Health and on Building Safe Public Spaces for Women.
Prachi Merchant, Akshara Centre:
Prachi is trained in the field of Urban & Regional Planning, Architecture, GIS, Arts and Aesthetics. Her work experience ranges from Planning, Design, Urban and Rural Planning Research, Heritage Conservation and Development work for the past 2 decades.
She has led a team of urban professionals through TISS, for setting up the Mumbai Parking Authority within the BMC for the Roads & Traffic Dept. She has been an Indian expert at the International Urban & Regional Cooperation- Australasia. She has been a part of the Revision of Draft Development Plan for Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and has previously worked as a consultant to AIILSG with Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU). Before this, she practised Architecture in various firms and as an associate and partner. She has taught as a faculty for the Urban and Regional Planning course of YCMOU & at the CPUG of TISS.
She has published research papers in National and International Professional journals and presented papers on various urban issues. She is actively associated with social community groups involved in the field of community farming, science propagation among masses and is associated with multiple organisations working in the area of urban issues.
Semester II and Semester IV Student’s Work
