Gender Mainstreaming in City Development

Gender Mainstreaming in urban development, Berlin, Germany - © Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

Gender Mainstreaming Event - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

New Park - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

Gender Mainstreaming Excursion - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

Group workout - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

The workplace - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

Garden Project - ©Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt

Gender Mainstreaming in City Development

Status

ongoing

City

Berlin

Main actors

City Government

Project area

Neighborhood or district

Duration

Ongoing since 2008

The program considers the needs of the different lifestyles existent in a city when planning urban development and building projects.

In 2008 the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment launched a Gender Equality Policy Program (Gleichstellungspolitisches Rahmenprogramm ; GPR). This program aims to make Berlin a more livable and enjoyable city for all residents regardless of lifestyle by using gender mainstreaming (GM) measures. GM considers the living arrangements and interests of the genders during the planning process of urban development. It does not solely focus on the needs of women; rather the diverse needs of each gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic group, age group, cultural groups, etc...

The GRP served as a master plan for Berlin urban development during the 2008-2011 legislative period. The program influenced city planning to consider the needs of all groups in society when planning city projects or building plans. In 2011 Berlin produced a handbook“Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Development” with tips and ideas for the transfer of GM measure to other cities.

The GRP serves as a good practice example to Integrated Urban Governance because it holistically invited all affected stakeholders to participate in the decision making processes directly affecting their lives. The GRP uses many Integrated Urban Governance instruments such as: participatory planning, monitoring, capacity building, and public participation.

For further information about the case study, click here.

City information

City

Berlin, Germany

Size and population development

In 2019, the municipality of Berlin had a population of 3,669,491 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the European Union (EU). The larger metropolitan area has about 5 million inhabitants.

Population composition

According to estimations, about one third of Berlin’s population was foreign born or has a migratory background. These inhabitants originate from other parts of the EU—such as Poland, Italy or Bulgaria—as well as from countries outside of the EU, such as Syria, Vietnam or the United States of America. The largest non-native population comes from Turkey: In 2019, more than 107,000 Turkish nationals were registered as inhabitants of Berlin.

Main functions

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. As a city-state it is also one of the country’s 16 Länder, as the federal states are called in Germany. Situated approximately 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea, the city lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through Berlin’s centre. The city extends over an area of 891.7 square kilometres and stands at an average altitude of 34 meters above sea level. After the reunification of Germany and East and West Berlin in 1990, the unified Berlin was re-established as the country’s capital (replacing Bonn, the former capital of West Germany). In 1999, large parts of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag finally moved back to Berlin. Berlin is a city of great historical significance, which becomes evident considering the amount of historical landmarks that visualize the city’s history. Some of the most important landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate (built in 1793), the Reichstag Building (which dates to 1884), remnants of the Berlin Wall (taken down on the 9th of November 1989) or the Holocaust memorial (inaugurated in 2003). Berlin is also a famous cultural hub, known for its world-class museums, theatres, operas and concert halls as well as its vibrant club scene and street art. Finally, the Brain City Berlin is a leading location for science and research. It is home to a number of prestigious universities such as the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and the Technische Universität Berlin, with more than 35,000 students each as well as renowned research institutions and think tanks.

Main industries / business

As the fourth largest economy of the world, Germany has a wide array of prestigious industries. Berlin is home to a diverse mix of economic activities: state-owned enterprises, creative industries, automotive manufacturers, (digital) media corporations, high-tech and telecommunication companies as well as multiple digital pioneers that flourish in the city’s vibrant start-up scene. Tourism is constantly growing and brings about 14 million visitors (2019) to the city every year.

Sources for city budget

Berlin draws its budget for public expenditure largely from taxes, federal transfers, fees, fines and operating revenues. It is spent not only to provide high quality public services, but also to boost the city’s private sector, civil society engagement and cultural life.

Political structure

The city-state Berlin is governed by the Berlin Senate, which is comprised of 10 senators, and the Governing Mayor. As the capital of Germany, Berlin hosts the Bundesregierung (federal government), the Bundestag (federal parliament) and the Bundesrat (the parliamentary chamber of the 16 Länder). Each of the 16 Länder has a representation in Berlin. On many political issues, the Länder have co-legislative powers vis-à-vis the Federal government. Moreover, Berlin hosts embassies from more than 120 countries from around the world.

Administrative structure

Berlin is administrated by the Senate and its 12 districts or boroughs (Bezirke). The Senate is the city’s central administration, in charge of city planning, public policy, and the regulation of public and private spheres. The district administrations have some decentralized public functions, with reasonable differences between the various localities.

Website

http://www.berlin.de

Background and objectives

In 2002 the parliament passed a resolution to include GM measures into administrative decisions and projects. Through this decision, the Gender Equality Policy Program was created in 2008 with the goal to create a livable, social, and barrier free city for every citizen regardless gender, age, mobile capabilities, etc… to enjoy. In this way the quality of life for all the city’s residents will increase. The program further developed gender equality policies to make a noticeable change in the equality of the genders in Berlin. Another aim was to find solutions to societal problems affecting diverse groups by addressing and changing gender and social stereotypes. By taking all societal groups into consideration during the planning process, no one group would feel left out or marginalised. This also promotes further integration of societal groups in the city.

Objectives included:

New GM living arrangements mixing multigenerational and societal communities together
Future initiatives for urban districts
The enjoyment of a self-determined lifestyle and living arrangement
Flexible and family oriented services
Barrier free accessibility
Demographic concept for Berlin
Achievement of a more livable city in terms of urban development projects

Implementation

Gender Mainstreaming considers the living arrangements and interests of the male and female genders during the planning process of urban development. It does not solely focus on the needs of genders; rather the diverse needs of every age, sexual, socio-economic, ethnical, racial group in society. GM invites all affected stakeholders to join in the planning process. This ensures that the needs of the different lifestyles existent in a city are considered. In this way urban development becomes holistic and for the enjoyment of all members of society. GM creates spaces in which people from all areas of society feel comfortable and secure.

Berlin created the Gender Equality Policy Programme to ensure that every citizen regardless of their position in society can enjoy the benefits of Berlin to the same extent. GRP demands that all urban development projects keep in mind the needs of all societal groups in the city. It demands that the question of whether a project could lead to conflicts for a specific group, or give certain advantages to one group and discriminate another be posed. GM focuses on how spaces are used and affect city life.

The GRP used capacity building of stakeholders and participatory measures to ensure that all diverse societal stakeholders were given a chance to express their opinions. Through participatory methods, target groups and stakeholders were included at the goal setting stage of urban development projects to ensure that no one group would be excluded from enjoying the benefits of any project. Moderation was used as a tool during the participatory process to ensure that all groups were able to express their thoughts.

The Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment worked together with the Advisory Board for Women’s Interests (established in 1990 by the Berlin House of Representatives) to execute the GRP.

Essential details and approaches for the GRP included:

Raising awareness of gender relations
Spreading information of gender policies in housing, social infrastructure, service and marketing in relation to the housing industry, and gender relations in business
A focus on gender relations for quality development workshops and projects
Knowledge transfer and practical experiences with gender and cultural sensibility in participatory procedures.
The thinking and acting processes of gender, age, and cultural groups were observed and used as a tool to overcome societal challenges preventing certain groups from enjoying equality in the city.

Financing and resources

A certain amount of the Budget of the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment is set aside for gender equality measures. Through this allocation GRP goals were funded. The Berlin Senate Department formed partnerships with citizen groups and the Advistory Board for Women’s Interests.

Results and impacts

The GRP successfully implemented policies and urban development through stakeholder participation from diverse social groups in Berlin. A handbook containing information, advice, guidelines, and transfer tips on GM is one result of this programme. The “Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Development” handbook was created in 2011 by the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment. It is available for download on their website.

Results include:

A gender-equal participatory process to determine new design and use of a courtyard in the district of Steglitz
Gender-equal communicative designs for project planning
Intercultural communication and motivational neighbourhood activities
Gender-equal marketing

Barriers and challenges

Due to the holistic nature of the GRP typical barriers such as difficulty to reach a consensus were experienced. Otherwise, the project ran successfully without conflicts.

Lessons learned and transferability

Gender mainstreaming is easily transferable to any city willing to devote themselves to principles of holistic participation, and equality for all societal groups. The “Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Development” handbook contains useful tips and strategies for transferability.

References

- Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Development Handbook (see the link below)