About Us
Women Shaping Cities is an urban planning think tank and practice focused on making cities safer, more inclusive, and more responsive to everyday life. The organisation works at the intersection of research, community engagement, and policy advocacy to centre the needs of women, children, caregivers, older adults, and other often-overlooked urban residents.
Through street audits, participatory tools, lived-experience research, and policy analysis, Women Shaping Cities generates practical evidence that informs better street design, transport systems, and urban governance. Its work supports city authorities, practitioners, and communities to move from abstract commitments to inclusion toward tangible, people-centred urban change, grounded in dignity, safety, care, and equity.
Our Hope
We hope to redefine how cities are imagined and built, shifting from systems that overlook to systems that listen, include, and care.
Our aspiration is for a future where the everyday journeys of women, children, caregivers, and older adults are no longer invisible, but form the blueprint for livable, human-centered cities across Africa and beyond.
We also hope to work closely with governments, communities, and partners to turn this vision into practice, ensuring that inclusion is not just discussed but designed into the very fabric of our cities.
Our Mission
To make cities livable, safe, and just for everyone by centering the experiences of women, girls, caregivers, children, and older adults in how urban spaces are planned, designed, and governed.
Through research, community engagement, and policy advocacy, we generate evidence that informs inclusive planning, design, and decision-making.
Our Vision
A world where care, equity, and dignity are at the core of urban life, where every person, regardless of gender or age, can move, play, and thrive freely in cities that value people over cars and communities over infrastructure.
