[WiLT] Finding a positive balance; gender, planning and regeneration

[WiL Admin]

Finding a positive balance; gender, planning and regeneration
.. Thursday 29th November 2007, 10.30am-4.30pm
.. Britannia Street Conference Centre, University and College
Union, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP

Regeneration practice has changed over the years, moving from the
purely physical concept of improving buildings to an understanding
that it must be people-centred - flexible enough to involve local
communities in order to succeed. This is an on-going challenge since
it is impossible to build-in community engagement without tackling
local democracy and the gendered nature of power relations between
local people and the local state.

It is recognised that more women than men are active in local
communities, but they have less status, less power and less access to
money. Women contribute differently from men; women's contribution is
frequently informal, where men prefer formal organisations. Women from
ethnic minority communities are active in the community but invisible
in the political arena. This means women face barriers in accessing
local strategic partnerships and mainstream politics. Prestige in
regeneration is still in new transport schemes, business
infrastructure and housing, but women and communities are rarely seen
at the forefront or even at board level of these schemes.

Women also use the built environment and public space differently -
they are more likely to use public transport or live in social
housing. As a consequence, they have different needs, concerns and
barriers to access.

The new Gender Equality Duty is designed to require public authorities
to examine current practice and make changes that will acknowledge and
act on gender imbalance. It is based on the belief that an awareness
of women and men's differing needs produces more successful outcomes
across the spectrum and that redressing the balance between women and
men's input can only be positive.

This event looks at what needs to change to make a difference to women
's contribution to all aspects of regeneration and how the Gender Duty
will impact on this process.

It also sees the launch of two new publications on gender equality and
regeneration:
.. Oxfam's A Place for Everyone? - gender equality and urban
planning - a ReGender Briefing Paper and
.. Gender and Spatial Planning Good Practice Note from the Royal
Town Planning Institute

These complementary papers pull together key issues, good practice
case studies, methodologies and recommendations around gender,
planning and the built environment, and are a must for anyone keen to
ensure regeneration and planning is fully inclusive and meets the
needs of both women and men. Both publications will be available to
participants on the day.

Programme
.. Registration and coffee
.. Chair: Sue Percy, Director, Membership, Education and Lifelong
Learning, Royal Town Planning Institute
.. Opening session: Spelling it out - what does the Gender Equality
Duty mean? Speaker from CLG
.. Morning Panel Session
  - Gender, regeneration and poverty Sue Smith, Equalities Policy
Advisor, UK Poverty, Oxfam
  - How can the spatial planning system respond? Dr Dory Reeves,
Director, Reeves Associates
  - Improving the balance in LSPs Toby Blume, Director, Urban Forum
  - The issues in housing - speaker tbc
.. Break
.. Discussion with panel
.. Lunch
.. Afternoon workshop sessions:
  - Planning for women and disability and older women Wendy Davis,
Women's Design Service
  - Women's place in the country - gender equality through rural
women's networking North Northumberland Women's Network
  - Gender Mainstreaming in regeneration schemes Jenny Lynn,
Regeneration Consultant
  - Meeting the needs of women from ethnic minority communities
facilitator from the Women's Design Service
  - Young women and urban regeneration Sally Copley, Director, Policy,
Research and Campaigns, YWCA
.. Report back and review

Individual seminar tickets at £70.00 (plus VAT)
* Concessions are available

To request a booking form, details of concessions and any other
details please contact Mary Murphy at:
Addrs: RTPI, 41 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL
Phone: 020-7929 9488
Fax: 020-7929 9490
email: mary.murphy at rtpi.org.uk

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=428