Women and Urban Public Space

Franck, Karen A.; Paxson, Lynn

doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-5601-1_6

Cited by 62 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Much recent writing on women and public spaces investigates this question (Cranz, 1982;McDowell, 1983;Bowlby, 1984;Pickup, 1984;Boys, 1985;Tivers, 1985;Franck & Paxson, 1989;Gordon & Riger, 1989;Wilson, 1991;Valentine, 1992Valentine, , 1995Weisman, 1992;Bowman, 1993;Day, 1994Day, , 1999aGardiner, 1994Gardiner, , 1995Ritzdorf, 1994;Namaste, 1996;Ruddick, 1996;Drucker & Gumpert, 1997b). Existing literature often examines the North American and Western European context, and the experiences of middle-class women, and is thus essential to my argument regarding the prevailing critique of US privatized public spaces.…”

Section: Gender Perspectives On the Privatization Of Public Spacesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Victorian 'separation of spheres' ideal encouraged first middle-and upper-and, eventually, working-class women's relegation to the private space of home in the US and Britain (Wilson, 1991;Valentine, 1992). 3 Though this stricture has loosened, many women's access to public space continues to be limited by responsibility for home and children (Harrington et ah, 1992;Franck & Paxson, 1989). Gendered social norms further limit women's public space access by encouraging them to moderate their behaviour to maintain socially desirable self-presentations of femininity (Fox, 1977;Gardiner, 1989Gardiner, , 1994Day, 1995Day, , 1999bHenderson et ah, 1996).…”

Section: (1) Use Of Privatized and Public Space Is Often Constrained mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…If I'm going there to shop and they've got a great deal there, to me, that could outweigh the ambience of the parking lot. (Woman, aged 36-45) Major constraints on women's use of public space included money, household and child care responsibilities and, especially, time (see also Tivers, 1988;Franck & Paxson, 1989;Harrington et ah, 1992). Convenience was a top value for respondents (see also Henderson et ah, 1996).…”

Section: (1) Use Of Privatized and Public Space Is Often Constrained mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The messages communicated by window displays in popular Victoria's Secret lingerie shops are unmistakable (see Figure 4). In the supposed neutrality of the shopping mall, women are introduced, or introduce themselves, in terms of their sexuality-a private identity (Franck & Paxson, 1989). Likewise, privatized spaces that target men often reinforce women's identification as sexual objects.…”

Section: Consumption As Constraining To Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the meantime, the burdens of contemporary lifestyles may often be borne disproportionately by women. Public spaces should consider including facilities for conveniently entertaining children, completing work tasks and accomplishing necessary household responsibilities, such as shopping, food preparation or errands (Franck & Paxson, 1989). Additionally, critics should differentiate between facilities for necessary consumption, which Figure 2.…”

Section: (1) Use Of Privatized and Public Space Is Often Constrained mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Introducing gender to the critique of privatized public space

Day

1999

Journal of Urban Design

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Urban design scholars denounce the recent trend towards the privatization of US public space. Critics emphasize the negative consequences of privatized public space, tied to private ownership, an emphasis on consumption, leisure and security, a targeted audience, and controlled behaviour and design. Yet these key qualities of privatized public spaces have meaning only in the context of one's identity. The same qualities shape experiences of privatized public spaces that can be understood as constrained, as constraining or as a form of resistance, depending on one's gender, race, class and sexuality. This paper challenges the prevailing design critique by examining women's experience of privatized public spaces, drawing on interviews with 43 middleclass women and behavioural mapping in five privatized public spaces in Orange County, California. Recommendations address changes to research and practice to better reflect and accommodate diverse experiences of public space.

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