Hence, Kolkata has a well-balanced gender-public-space relationship. Women and men from the working class use the public spaces on a daily basis, yet women are less visible than men.
Improvising public spaces: After the brutal gang rape and murder of 23 year old woman in a city bus Dr Kalpana Viswanath and Ashish Bashu co-founded ‘SafetiPin’, an app to provide credible data and build vibrant ecosystems for safe, inclusive and accesible cities. The app allow user to rate public places on safety criteria, the app highlight lighting, visibility, transportation, density and more, and together create a map of exactly where and how the design of the city itself disadvantages women. Clearly the design itself becomes the reason of crime commencement, and there is scope for betterment of the public spaces for every citizen including women and elderly.
According to the American Planning Association, “great public spaces” should promote human contact and community involvement, as well as reflect local culture and a place’s special character. They should be safe, welcoming, accommodating and visually attractive. Design perspective‐ For a better design of gender just cities, following areas require designer’s attention1. Street lighting and public eyes - Women and men benefit from well functioning street lighting in equal measure. Installing efficient lighting technology in the right places makes sure everyone’s needs are met, especially those of the non-motorised road users, i.e. mostly women, children, youth and elderly people. Gender-equitable public lighting is moving away from simply lighting traffic lanes to fully illuminating footpaths and pavements as well. Outdoor lighting is intended to enhance safety and security at night, but too much lighting can actually have the opposite effect. Visibility should always be the goal. Glare from bright, unshielded lights actually decreases safety because it shines into our eyes and constricts our pupils. This can not only be blinding, it also makes it more difficult for our eyes to adjust to low-light conditions. According to Von Soomeren adequate street lighting is important illuminating pathways as well as it allows homeowners and shopkeepers to scan their surroundings clearly and act on any criminal activity they see.
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