Valencia debates how to make the city more suitable for women

New age urbanism that takes into account the needs of the various profiles of residents

The organisers of the Valencia 2030 Urban Forum announced that today, 11 May at 6pm (local time), a round table called “Feminist Valencia” is set to take place. It will be a platform to debate ways to make the city more inclusive for women and girls.

The Urban Forum itself will be held throughout the month of May as a space for reflection and participation to collectively rethink the city model and promote the Valencia 2030 Urban Strategy.

Socially-minded town planning

The round table discussion, held at the Palau de l'Exposició, will be led by Councilor Lucía Beamud and the Department of Equality, Gender Policies and LGBTI.

The Councilor pointed out that the aim is to "listen to the residents and draw up a roadmap to see how we can make a fairer and more egalitarian city for all the people who live, work and develop our lives here".

She recalled that with the new urban strategy, the Spanish city has committed itself to becoming a ¨shared city¨ and one that aims to be fully inclusive to all its residents, regardless of their gender and social status.

Councilor Beamud stated that “this is why we are developing a whole series of measures and political actions aimed at strengthening diversity and equality in our city, such as the expansion of equality units in neighbourhoods; the soon-to-be-opened non-discrimination and hate crime office; the first Equality Awards in the history of Valencia; gender-based violence prevention programs, such as Whole Orange or Repair, and a long list of other things”.

Although the round table has been described as a “feminist” in its title, the words of the councillor show that a broader idea of social inclusivity will be tackled. City design will be approached from a multitude of perspectives, including also those of children, the elderly and migrants.