Gender Sensitivity Key Feature in Planning: ITPI Women’s Forum

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
The planning sector has the potential to foster women empowerment as gender sensitivity plays a key role in urban planning practice, said the Women Planners Forum of Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI) here.

In a special presentation at the 73rd National Town and Country Planners Conference, organised by ITPI, New Delhi, with the support of the Local Self Government Department, Govt. of Kerala, the Women’s Forum said gender sensitivity is an important aspect in the current planning practice.

Deepti J Vyas, Chairman, ITPI Women’s Planners Forum, and Architect, D Vyas and Associates, Indore, said out of the 8,700 members in ITPI, more than 3,000 members are women.

“In the Google Forms survey conducted by the Forum, 80 percent of women planners exuded the feeling that the planning sector has a potential for women empowerment. They also gave suggestions for gender sensitivity in planning,” she said.

In their presentation, the Women’s Forum highlighted a slew of suggestions such as inclusion and representation of women in decision-making process of ITPI, besides importance of creating more job opportunities, reservations and encouraging research and grant awards on gender-inclusive cities.

The winners of the poster competition held on the sidelines of the conference were announced at the session. About 25 posters were displayed in the competition category at the venue.

Jeshika J Patel from IDPT-SCET (Sarvajanik University), Surat won the first prize in the poster competition themed ‘City Through Her Eyes’. Ms Parul Bhardwaj (IIT Roorkee) bagged the second prize while Ms Saadia Siddiqui (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi) got the third prize.

Announcing the winners, Dr Sejal Patel, Secretary, ITPI Women’s Planners Forum, and Programme Chair, Urban Housing, Faculty of Planning, CEPT University, said the posters for the competition were chosen from around 72 entries received from colleges, institutions and professionals. The ITPI Women’s Planners Forum launched the competition on ‘World Town Planning Day 2024’.

Dr Poonam Prakash, Member, ITPI Women’s Planners Forum, and Professor, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, gave a detailed presentation on the Google Forms survey.

The January 10-11 meet deliberated on a host of live topics relating to urban and country development. The conference will conclude on Sunday with a field visit of project sites.