Women in Urban Planning: Lessons from Sweden on Building Cities for Life and Prosperity
- Women Shaping Cities
- Aug 23
- 3 min read
Urban planning is not just about streets and buildings, it is about the people who move, live, and care within them. For too long, women’s perspectives have been missing in shaping these spaces, resulting in cities that overlook everyday realities. Sweden stands out as a country that has consistently brought women’s voices, and particularly women urban planners, into the heart of city design.
Gender Mainstreaming in Swedish Urban Planning
Since the mid-1990s, Sweden has embedded gender mainstreaming as a guiding principle in public policy and planning. This means every policy, budget, and design decision is evaluated for how it affects women and men differently. Women planners have played a leading role in turning this principle into practice.
📌 Example: In Stockholm, planners studied how men and women use parks differently. Women often reported avoiding certain spaces due to poor lighting or visibility. As a result, redesign efforts prioritized better lighting, clear sightlines, and seating areas. The outcome was not just increased safety for women, parks became more welcoming for everyone, including children and the elderly.
Care-Sensitive Transport Design
Women planners in Sweden have also challenged how transport is measured. Traditional planning prioritized commuting (home ↔ work), often reflecting male travel patterns. Women’s travel with multi-stop trips to schools, markets, healthcare facilities, was seen as inefficient. Swedish cities flipped this narrative by valuing these caregiving journeys.
📌 Example: In Umeå, transport policy shifted to measure accessibility not just by speed, but by the ability of parents, children, and older adults to move safely and conveniently. Investments in sidewalks, bike lanes, and reliable buses improved daily mobility and reduced dependence on cars.
From Quality of Life to Economic Growth
Centering women in planning is not only about fairness, it strengthens the economy:
Productivity: Safer, more accessible transport allows more women to participate in the workforce.
Health Savings: Walkable neighborhoods reduce healthcare costs linked to stress, inactivity, and traffic injuries.
Local Economies: Child-friendly and pedestrian-friendly streets increase foot traffic for small businesses.
Social Cohesion: Public spaces become inclusive gathering points, fostering trust and stronger communities.
📌 Example: In Malmö, redesigning public squares with input from women planners resulted in spaces that were safer at night, attracted families during the day, and boosted surrounding retail activity.
Why Women Planners Matter
Sweden’s story shows that when women are engaged and not in a tokenistic way, cities change at the core. They bring the overlooked realities of caregiving, safety, and accessibility into planning. These insights translate into healthier, safer, and more prosperous cities for all.
The evidence is clear:
➡️ Cities that plan with women thrive.
➡️ Cities that ignore women’s perspectives fall short.
The lesson from Sweden is simple: women in urban planning are not optional. They are essential to building cities that deliver both quality of life and economic vitality.
References
Greed, C. (2005). Overcoming the factors inhibiting the mainstreaming of gender into spatial planning policy in the UK. Urban Studies, 42(4), 611–628.
Lilja, E. (2018). Gender Equality in Swedish Planning: Reflections and Practices. Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket).
Sánchez de Madariaga, I. & Roberts, M. (2013). Fair Shared Cities: The Impact of Gender Planning in Europe. Routledge.
Levy, C. (2013). Travel choice reframed: "deep distribution" and gender in urban transport. Environment & Urbanization, 25(1), 47–63.
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