THE SOCIAL PRODUCTION OF THE CITY
To begin this research it is important to explore how the city and its spaces are produced, in parallel to the influencing inequalities which shape the man-made environment. Marxist theorist Henri Lefebvre explored this concept in his 1991 publication of La Production de l’espace, translated as The Production of Space. The central argument is that space is not a container in which society occupies. Space is a product, where this production of space is not only through material production, but also a result of social relations. Lefebvre’s key idea is that in producing social relations, humans also produce social space. He writes that “each living body is space and has its space: it produces itself in space and it also produces that space” (Lefebvre, 1991; pg.170) He describes the creation of social space through the dialectical relationship between the perceived, conceived and lived (see Figure 6.)
Figure. 5: The Production of Space, published 1991 by Henri Lefebvre
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The triad of these social relations forming social space can be used to reveal how the man-made environment has been shaped and impact women’s relationship with the city. The triad is also an opportunity to identify where social relations could be different, to reduce gender inequalities in the city for women to use the space to their full opportunities.
