This week’s best city stories meet a group reclaiming the “women-free” spaces of a Parisian suburb, discover how a water co-operative transformed a slum in Manila and celebrate a pedestrian-friendly initiative in LA.
We’d love to hear your responses to these stories and any others you’ve read recently, both at Guardian Cities and elsewhere: share your thoughts in the comments below.
France’s ‘women-free’ zones
In the Parisian suburb of Aubervilliers, a retired teacher set up a collective for women to reclaim public space in a neighbourhood where communal open areas and cafes were dominated by men. As CityMetric reports, the collective – called “A Place for Women” – began to meet up once a month in a local cafe, taking up a corner of the room.
The impact of this was instantly noticeable: the sight had been so unusual that passers-by and even police officers stopped in their tracks to understand why a group of women were sitting in the cafe. The collective has now created stickers for local establishments encouraging women to enter, which say: “Here, women can feel at home”. Still, there is a long way to go if signs of permission are needed to enable inclusive access to public spaces.
Cycle city
Atlanta may have been built for cars, but can it embrace the cycling revolution? That’s the question asked in Atlanta Magazine, which explains that between 2000 and 2009, the city registered the US’s highest increase in bike commuting. Now, Atlanta has the BeltLine, a 22-mile loop of abandoned land repurposed into a cycling and walking trail. More cycling infrastructure is planned: the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition are hoping to add an extra 100 miles of bike-friendly roadways to the city.
How water transformed a Manila slum
This week CityLab published a story of a woman from a slum in Manila who convinced a water company to bring clean, affordable water to her neighbourhood. Not only did the local community become healthier, but it enabled a local water co-operative programme to be set up.
The money made from the programme has gone towards improving life in the slum – from buying school supplies for local children to paving a muddy open space in order to create a public plaza, with a basketball court and benches. The community is now using funds from the water co-operative the build a “resilience store”, where rice and canned goods are stockpiled in the event of a disaster.
Pedestrians in LA
LA doing something for pedestrians? Surely not ... The LA Times reports that the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, is considering a controversial initiative designed to “give pedestrians a leg up on motorists” in the city.
The initiative would involve installing new crisscross, diagonal pedestrian crossings, also known as “pedestrian scrambles”, which require all vehicles to stop so that walkers can move freely across a junction. Studies have shown that the crossings improve safety and reduce the number of vehicle-pedestrian collisions. One small step for a pedestrian, one giant leap for walkable cities?
Berlin in the 90s
Just how much has the urban fabric of Berlin changed in the 25 years since the wall came down? These Buzzfeed sliders compare photos of the city from the “wild years” of the 1990s to now, revealing an array of new and restored buildings, cafes and transport infrastructure ... as well as a lot less graffiti.
What can be done to make public places feel more inclusive? Will LA ever be truly pedestrian-friendly? Share your thoughts in the comments below
