Mumbai: A city of dreams… but not for all

The official Instagram handle of Tactical Urbanism Mumbai which was started by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC posted about changing the traffic light signage to a woman instead of the usual man a week ago ldquoInclusive signage plays an important role in making public spaces feel like they belong to people of all genders ages and abilitiesrdquo the post said tagging it MumbaiForEveryone This move was applauded but many were not convinced that it is enough to make a city inclusive for all kinds of people gender includedldquoSignages are surely one way to make city spaces genderinclusiverdquo says Hitesh Vaidya Director of National Institute of Urban Affairs NIUA ldquoHowever there is a need to bring about a change in the elements design and planning of our built environments and ultimately across the entire practice of urbanisationrdquo Other experts agree that this first step should not be the only stepProposed plans by IMK Architect to make a city more inclusive by transforming public spaces especially slum areasldquoGetting signage to conform to the genderinclusive concept is a superficial approachrdquo says Marine drivebased Anuprita Dixit the Design Director at IMK Architect ldquoIt may help in indicating the idea graphically but if the space is not planned appropriately then it fails to serve the purposerdquo ldquoNot only is this the easiest thing to do it could also be a campaign gimmickrdquo thinks ElsaMarie Drsquosilva founder of Red Dot Foundation Safecity The platform aims to make cities safer by encouraging equal access to public spaces for everyone especially to women While Drsquosilva believes that changing the signage can go a long way in addressing the unconscious bias that only men inhabit the city she doesnrsquot think it can make the city genderinclusiveldquoA city designed to make women children vulnerable communities or elderly safe is a great city for allrdquo says a 2018 report by Red Dot Foundation Safecity and Urban Vision a thinkdotank on livable cities titled ldquoReimaging a city from a womanrsquos perspectiverdquoOne also needs to take into consideration people with disabilities those in wheelchairs pregnant women and mothers as well as those from marginalised communities Can they walk on the streets or the footpaths safely How do they feel in a public garden Are they on guard in public transportldquoThere are no walkable footpathsrdquo points out Drsquosilva ldquoThey are mostly occupied by hawkers Or they are one foot high with no proper gradient The paving blocks are in a mess There are trees in the middle of a footpath you canrsquot manoeuver wheelchairs or prams around themrdquo An inclusive city according to her should be one you can walk or cycle around safely inA gender inclusive sign in Trafalgar Square LondonParthima Manohar cofounder of Urban Vision who worked with Drsquosilva on the city primer talks about the concept of lsquoeyes on the streetrsquo The term was coined by renowned urbanist Jane Jacobs In her words ldquoThere must be eyes on the streets eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street The buildings on the street must be equipped to handle strangers and to ensure their safety as well as that of the residents They cannot turn their backs and ignore the streetrdquo This concept can be achieved with human scale architectureAlso Read Shave like your grandpaAnother suggestion by Manohar is having a diversity of urban activities on the street to make it safer for women A mixeduse planningmdasha mix of residential commercial social and open spacesmdashcan create a ldquo247rdquo urban environment According to the report neighbourhoods with 100 per cent commercial use make it userfriendly only in the day A mixeduse planning would have 24hour human surveillance ldquoYou would not walk at Mumbai Port Trust or BandraKurla Complex BKC at 11 pmrdquo cites Manohar as an example ldquoBut you would feel perfectly comfortable and safe walking at Carter Road because it is full of activities and attracts a diversity of peoplerdquoA photo in the post by Tactical Urbanism Mumbai showing a womanrsquos silhouette on the traffic lightTo test this concept this writer spent more than an hour in BKC at 730 pm on a weekday walking through all the bylanes and the main road Most of these had no streetlights the only light was that of the passing cars The footpath adjoining the main road was the samemdashdark with a few auto rickshaws parked by the curb Only a few bylanes were welllit or had walkable footpaths accessible by wheelchairs and prams These were present near restaurants and some private office buildings The many vacant plots add to the desolate stretchesIn some countries public places such as parks are touchstones for accessibility and inclusivity A 2016 study by the United Cities and Local Governments UCLG found that girls aged between 10 and 12 used parks less in Vienna The city council then focused on gendersensitive solutions such as turning football cages into volleyball and badminton courtsmdashactivities that accommodate all genders A green crossing light is changed into the outline of a woman on Clapham High Street PicsGetty ImagesA manual for gender mainstreaming in urban planning and development published by Urban Development of Vienna states the city developed several methods to assess and evaluate public space with regard to its qualities for different target groups ldquoWith its footways streets and squares public space creates the preconditions for the proper use of urban quarters Improving the small scale mobility of pedestrians is essential for enhancing equality of opportunities in such quartersrdquo the manual stated ldquoAn inclusive city needs both physical space and symbolsrdquo says Eva Kail ldquoto create an inviting and encouraging street space Symbols such as traffic lights and female street names create an inviting atmosphere But of course if the organisation of the traffic and shape of public space is hostile to pedestrians it does not help muchrdquo Kail is an urban planner and gender planning expert in the City of Vienna AustriaDrsquosilva points out a problem peculiar to Mumbai ldquoMost parks are closed in the afternoon which is when most homemakers are freerdquo She urges that garden caretakers should be sensitised to have a more inclusive approach She also makes a case for signs informing people of their rights and also reminders of punishment involved for crimes committed in that space Other recreational needs such as reading playing board games having teaparties should also be taken into account and parks should have facilities for themPrathima Manohar ElsaMarie Drsquosilva Deepa Pawar Eva Kail PicJana Madzigon Anuprita DixitldquoMost administrative work is viewed through the eyes of a manrdquo says Deepa Pawar founder and director of Anubhuti Trust ldquoIf it were from the point of view of a woman we would see more facilities for day cares We donrsquot even think and consider that girls could play in playgrounds If we did there would be separate toiletsrdquo Anubhuti Trust is a womenled NGO that deals with caste class gender language and ethnicitybased discriminationsPawar emphasises that free safe and hygienic toilets should be present at all public as well as private places ldquoPainting a train pink or changing the traffic light signage is just a token measurerdquo she states ldquoFor a woman in a wheelchair the spatial requirement is not limited to providing a separate toilet It must also take into consideration mobility requirements such as the door width for the wheelchair to pass through support systems such as handrails in the disabledfriendly toilets and accessible heights of washbasin health faucet and toiletries The same applies to children with disabilities pregnant women and trans personsrdquo adds VaidyaThe location and infrastructure of the toilet should also take safety into accountmdashproper lighting functioning doors and locks intact windows and supervision ldquoIn a mall which has free and hygienic toilets any womanmdashbe it one from a marginalised tribal community or an urban womanmdashshould feel safe and comfortable ldquoHygiene and gendersensitivity must also be internalised in the designrdquo says Dixit ldquoThe toilet cubicle should not be cramped taking into account the fact that mothers need to assist their children and nursing mothersldquoWe have not begun to engage with this issue in real earnestrdquo says Dr Himanshu Burte Associate Professor at Centre for Urban Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of TechnologyBombay IITB Burke also suggests acknowledging the diversity of people who actually use public spaces such as the streets and footpaths in different ways While the BMC has initiated a few projects of transforming idle spacesmdashlike those under flyoversmdashinto recreational spaces Burte does not think thatrsquos enough ldquoMany of the redesigned underflyover spaces are at relatively elite localities They are not going to change the general reality of the city But if a similar investment is possible across the city then the benefit would be spread widerrdquoldquoThe biggest roadblock is in the minds of designersrdquo says Drsquosilva ldquoAre they actually designing an inclusive city on the drawing boardrdquo Planners and designers learn this but may not implement it in the real world ldquoThey and their managers should go through gendersensitivity programmes They should have consultations with all sections of society You are designing for a city inhabited by all sorts of people who live work and play Their needs should be taken into accountrdquoBack to the man on the signal experts believe a stick figure or the representation can change from country to country state to state A sign used in Vienna for women could vary in India ldquoThough representation is difficult it is not entirely impossiblerdquo says Vaidya ldquoas evident from the universal accessibility signage More than one symbol in a signage depicting multiple users can solve the problem of apt representationrdquo