Vienna Gender Mainstreaming

What does it mean to feel included in a city? Safety, enough space in public transport without unpleasant contact, long green traffic lights phases without stress. And what does it mean for a woman? To feel that the city belongs to women as much as to men. Initiatives to make the city more inclusive for women have their origin in Vienna in the 1990s. The occasion was the survey on how and why people move around the city: Men often moved to and from work and women had (and have) to do more journeys – for work, shopping, caring for children and older relatives? The survey prompted the Viennese administration to turn their attention onto the transformation of the city, focusing on accessibility, safety, and integration. The concept of Gender Mainstreaming was developed, whose goal is to achieve gender equality with the help of equal structures and baselines. The first adjustments took place in the district of Mariahilf in Vienna. In Mariahilf, street lighting was improved, and sidewalks were extended. Pedestrian-friendly traffic lights and benches, as well as footbridges were installed. Since the 1990s, Vienna has implemented about 60 gender-sensitive pilot projects. This was a great start to a movement that still has a lot of work ahead in achieving equality in urban space.