Women Friendly Cities Challenge
An international collaborative library of Wise Practices
A project of Women Transforming Cities International Society.
This website is a living library of Wise Practices from around the world that help make cities more women friendly. The idea was born at the United Nations Habitat III conference in October 2016, and launched at the World Urban Forum in February 2018.
Explore Wise Practices
Wise practices are: locally-appropriate actions, tools, principles or decisions that contribute significantly to the development of sustainable and equitable social conditions. They evolve and are refined as individual and community experience and knowledge expand. (Reference: Wesley-Esquimax and Calliou 2010: 19)
With this library we want to share knowledge, inspire innovation, improve networking and collaboration, and challenge ourselves to make cities equitable, inclusive, sustainable and thriving for all.
Submit a Wise Practice
We welcome submissions from all sectors: Governments, civil society and grassroots organizations, the private sector, academia, and beyond.
Submit your Wise Practices now and show the world how you are making your city women friendly!
See here for more information and submission guidelines.
Making a city women friendly does not exclude others.
Women have historically been excluded from city building and, despite progress in many areas, there are still significant gender gaps and inequalities – particularly for diverse women. Using a gendered intersectional lens, these gaps can be eliminated, an effort that evidence has shown will improve quality of life for all. We should all want cities to be more women friendly.
What is a Women Friendly City?
Simply put, a women friendly city is a city where women, girls and gender oppressed people are able to thrive and live full, safe and meaningful lives.
This requires equitable access to services including housing, education, justice and medical treatment, participation in decision making and leadership, and for women and girls to be free from violence in the home and in public spaces.
