A few things to know this week: March 12, 2021
This week’s things to know:
Urban Planning Has a Sexism Problem – Next City (NextCity)
In honor of International Women's Day this week, here's an article by Next City written in 2017 (but still true today!) about the need to amplify and recognize more voices of women in urbanism. As they write, "If women's rights are human rights, it stands to reason that a feminist city is a humanist city." In a deeper dive, they rightfully ask why there is an outright resistance to urbanism led by women of color. They challenge us to commit to diversity in panels (avoiding the #manel we are all used to seeing at conferences year in and out) and keynotes. It's a message we all need to hear until it is no longer an issue! -AJ
Dangerous By Design 2021 (SGA)
The good people at Smart Growth America just came out with the 2021 version of Dangerous By Design. One of my goals for 2021 is to become a more vocal advocate for equitable transportation, and SGA is at the forefront of this work. In the last four years, pedestrians hit by drivers have skyrocketed, and the design of our transportation facilities have a lot to do with that. Their report dives into why that is the case, with the data to back it up. I'm excited to dig in and keep the momentum going to make our streets safer for everyone. -Tim
How to mentor and support other women and help them succeed (TED)
Mentorship is critical for everyone in their respective career paths, but it is especially needed for women trying to make their way in circles where they are not well represented. I was very fortunate to have had several mentors who helped me learn to speak up for myself and resist being relegated to the note taker and put into the background. As this piece from ted.com reads, "Mentoring is one lever we can activate to advance more women in their work, to help them gain access to capital and economic opportunities they might otherwise miss, and to be better prepared for opportunities when they come." None of us feel as though we have a great deal of time for things outside work and home, but the fact is that we can all make time - if it is a priority - to reach out and help mentor someone else. -AJ
She Came to Fix the Parking (Dallas Morning News)
Andreea Ureda is a name in the City of Dallas that I hope we hear more about soon. She has been one of the few people in Dallas that has used her position and voice to call out the problematic parking requirements situation that plagues our cities and others across the country. Her experiences living and working in other cities across the globe has given her the perspective and realization that there is more to a street than the need to get a car from point A to point B. Read more about her and Dallas’ parking issues here. -Ryan
Buttigieg Says US DOT Should Support ‘Right-Sizing’ City Asphalt (StreetsBlog)
Pete Buttigieg has been making news for all the right reasons. In the session, his comments though in passing have brought out the longstanding discussion on climate, sustainability, and mobility justice goals through the rightsizing of roads. This is an important thought that is part of a whole presentation at the Bloomberg CityLab Summit, which was part of our newsletter last week. -Bhargava
How to Design a City for Women (CityLab)
Lastly, how about our responsibility to design cities for women, too? The idea of gender mainstreaming (designing laws, rules and regulations that benefit men and women equally) has long been a goal in Vienna. That term has begun evolving into the "Fair Shared City". Unfortunately, in U.S. cities, that's unheard of - as unheard of as designing cities for those with mobility challenges. This article has some creative ideas that touch transportation, safety, parks, housing, and many other facets of daily life that planners unfortunately don't spend enough - if any - time thinking about. Let's do better. -AJ
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