Equitable and safe access to open public spaces matters most for women and girls.

By 2050, an estimated 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Rapid urbanization brings prospects for growth and innovation. It also poses significant challenges, particularly for the most vulnerable populations, including women and girls. Achieving sustainable urbanization requires intentional planning that guarantees equitable and safe access to the city for all residents. Yet only 44.2 per cent of the world’s urban population currently has convenient access to open public spaces. This figure drops sharply in sub-Saharan Africa, to just 21.2 per cent on average. It is as low as 6.9 and 3.9 per cent in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, respectively, and 2.3 per cent in Benin City, Benin. Even in Europe and Northern America, where access is higher on average (65.8 per cent), only 2.5 per cent of residents in Greensboro and 15.9 per cent in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America, can readily use public spaces.

Limited access to open public spaces affects women disproportionately. Since women generally shoulder greater responsibility for child and elder care, they spend more time in local neighbourhoods. As another example, in Papua New Guinea, women comprise 80 per cent of market vendors and often rely on public spaces for their livelihoods. From a gender perspective, equitable access means considering women’s mobility, safety and well-being. In cities such as Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta and Quito, women cite fear of violence as a leading reason for not using parks, walking routes or public transport after dark. 

Gender-responsive urban design has shown promising results. For example, better lighting, pedestrian visibility and/or access to toilets in Port Moresby and Umeå have significantly improved women’s likelihood of using open public spaces. Vienna’s gender-sensitive urban redesign (wider sidewalks, improved lighting, proximity to childcare facilities) has markedly boosted women’s presence in parks and public housing areas. These examples highlight the need for urban planning that explicitly considers how to make public spaces accessible and inclusive for all. 

Share of the urban population with convenient access to open public spaces, by region, 2020 (percentage)