Caring cities
Introduction
The city of care is the relationship between architecture, urban planning and gender issues "Gender (social sciences)"), proposing a critical vision of the city from a feminist perspective.
Cities have historically been designed without taking into account the needs of women, especially with regard to care tasks, which mostly fall on them.[1].
From this relationship, the idea of a neutral city is questioned and a reconfiguration of the urban space is proposed that more equitably contemplates care responsibilities, so that greater inclusivity and social justice are achieved.[2].
The city as a care space
Traditionally, cities have been designed with a focus on productive work, relegating care work to a secondary and inconspicuous role. By looking at the city as a care space, it is proposed to reconfigure the urban environment to facilitate access to spaces such as daycare centers, health centers and adapted housing, integrating these elements into the urban design. The caring city model recognizes care work as essential for social well-being and seeks an equitable distribution of the resources that support it.[2].
Likewise, this perspective proposes redefining social priorities, placing people's daily lives at the center of urban decisions to combat the inequalities sustained by the capitalist, patriarchal and colonial system. By focusing on daily life, this perspective recognizes the value of all the needs arising from daily activities, giving visibility and recognition to the relevance "Relevance (Right)") of reproductive and care work, which still falls largely on women. Furthermore, it claims the need for social and collective co-responsibility in the development of these activities, promoting a more equitable and inclusive urban environment "Inclusion (pedagogy)").[3].
Gender and urban space
Urban design has historically privileged the needs of men in areas such as transportation, work (sociology) and leisure, largely ignoring the experiences of women. Women, who traditionally assume care roles, experience the city as a space that is often inaccessible and not very functional for their daily commutes and multiple responsibilities.[2].