by Claudia B. Isaac For some time, I have been thinking about the crossovers in my own practice and scholarship, where the distinct practices of “Gender and Development” and “Community Development” intersect. “Gender and Development” joins gender and economic development issues, and “Community Development” deals with place-based issues. Though the links between the two fields […]

by Stacy Harwood Over a year ago, I began “surfing the Web” for anything related to the intersection of women, gender or feminist theory and urban planning, loosely defined. Although a frustrating and time consuming process, I managed to uncover a few gems. In general, the materials available fall into four categories: electronic discussion groups; […]

by Amy Lind Many planners and development practitioners have recognized women’s work as an important source for community development and mobilization. A common message is, if a development project is to be successful, women must be involved. Yet it is often assumed that women’s community-based participation is a “natural” extension of their roles in individual […]

by Marie Kennedy How can progressive planners work more effectively with low-income women to address urgent issues they face, such as the increasing risk and conditions of homelessness? What alternative models of needs analysis and policy planning lend themselves to increasing the power of those most affected? The experiences of the Roofless Women’s Action Research […]

by Barbara Loevinger Rahder Grassroots women can organize to change the way cities are planned and developed. Women Plan Toronto (WPT) is an example of how they can do it. WPT is a grassroots women’s organization that uses participatory methods to involve diverse women in changing urban planning processes and outcomes in Toronto. Its purpose is […]

by Patricia A. Nolan I was standing in the lobby of the massive 918-bed Cook County Hospital complex in Chicago when it finally hit me. Here in the heart of one of the country’s largest public hospitals I was surrounded by people from communities with poor housing, unemployment, poverty and crime. But lack of adequate […]

by Ann Forsyth, Guest Editor Contemporary US feminism emerged in the 1960s and 1970s at the end of a period of dramatic residential suburbanization and urban renewal. In this context, feminist work from the planning and design professions in the 1970s and early 1980s found a major focus on housing and housework. Growing female poverty […]