The Role of Landscape Architects

The future of urban public transit has to be gender inclusive and landscape architects have to do their part. Landscape architects are responsible for providing safe, equitable and beautiful public and private spaces for a community. Often, the practice of gender-

mainstreaming is either forgotten or not prioritized. There has to be a systematic

change in the planning process of public spaces if they are to be gender inclusive. In an ideal situation, female landscape architects would have equal opportunities as men do to be in executive and decision making positions. This would allow designers to have a diverse range of perspectives and experiences while planning which can help to create inclusive cities. Vienna, Austria is proof that change can happen when the people in charge acknowledge women’s issues. This thesis is aimed at helping landscape architects understand how to adopt gendersensitive planning practices within public transit.

The Gender Inclusive Public Transit Guide was created for landscape architects. The standards in the guide provide landscape architects with the means to create public spaces that represent the needs of everyone in the community. It is important to note that transportation is just one factor in designing a shared city and landscape architects should consider the many other factors that go into gender inclusive city planning. Ultimately, they should be aiming to create cities that are gender inclusive instead of the car-centric male dominated society that exists today.

Figure 3.0 Prague public transit (Intelligent Transport, 2017).

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“Most city diversity is the creation of incredible numbers of different people and different private organizations, with vastly differing ideas and purposes, planning and contriving outside the formal framework of public action.”

– Jacobs (1993) The Death and Life of Great American Cities

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