Public Urban Space, Gender and Segregation

Examining women in public spaces and patterns of interaction with gender -segregated and -mixed space in the Middle East, this book argues that gendered spaces are far from a static physical spatial division. Taking the example of Iran, normative and ideologically-laden gender segregated public spaces have been used as a tool for the Islamization of everyday life. Combining research approaches from urban planning and social sciences, this book analyses both technical and social aspects of women-only parks. Addressing the relationships between ideology, urban planning and gender, the book interprets power relations and how they are used to define and plan public and semi-public urban spaces.