Location: Catalonia, Spain
Organization: Col·lectiu Punt 6 and FCG
About the Wise Practice
The purpose of this audit was to analyze train stations to understand women’s experiences and perceptions of safety at train stations.
Individual station areas, such as the platforms, connectors, main entrances and station surroundings were analyzed to understand how the design of the stations could reflect gender-based design. The audit analyzed whether the station design responded to six principles: visible, vital, informal surveillance, signage / wayfinding, equipped, and communitarian.
Participatory observations at different times of day and night, as well as interviews with women workers at the rail company, were conducted to further understand the experiences of women using train stations.
Recommendations were developed for the rail company to improve their stations to be more women-friendly. The recommendations included criteria for the design of new stations.
Categories & Goals
- Safety
- Goal 3: Improve road safety and integrate it into sustainable mobility and transport infrastructure planning and design, with special attention to the needs of all women and girls (NUA 113).
- Transportation
- Goal 1: Promote age- and gender-responsive planning and investment for sustainable, safe and accessible urban mobility (NUA 13f, 114; SDG 11.2).
- Goal 2: Improve road safety and integrate it into sustainable mobility and transport infrastructure planning and design, with special attention to the needs of all women and girls and those in vulnerable situations (NUA 113; SDG 11.2).
Measurement
Monitoring
The audit was part of the study, but additional monitoring was not part of the scope of this project.
The rail company is currently implementing some of the recommendations, including:
- – Making women visible in the transportation sector through campaigns (eg., violence against women)
- – Improving wayfinding
- – Improving language to be non-sexist
- – Promoting internal gender equity within the company as well as making transit more safe for women users
Lessons Learned
The process was very positive and raised awareness amongst workers at the rail company who were previously not gender-sensitive. The project influenced them to understand how they could use a more gender-based approach in designing stations.
Speaking with women workers gave a first hand look into how the stations worked, and helped to understand women workers’ experiences and perspectives of safety at stations, during different times of day and night.