Women's struggle for urban safety. the Canadian experience and its applicability to the Israeli context: Fid-Bau Portal

Women's struggle for urban safety. the Canadian experience and its applicability to the Israeli context

Kallus, Rachel / Churchman , Arza

This article examines the ways in which issues of women's safety in public space are integrated into planning practice and policy. It deals with two processes of struggle for urban safety, addressing the integration of ‘voices from the field’ into urban administration and planning, and questioning the possible adaptation of experiences of such integration, as developed in one socio‐culture system, into another. The article focuses on a number of Canadian cities, and assesses if their experience is applicable to cities in Israel. Thus it considers the transferability of knowledge and the potential of cross‐culture study, in relation to the production of professional knowledge. The first part of the article introduces the main issues to be explored in the article and considers these in the context of recent theoretical, professional and public debates, especially as related to gender and urban safety, and in relation to concepts of power, knowledge, meaning and identity. The second part presents the major findings of a research project related to local Canadian actions for urban safety and the urban policies adopted for its provision. The third part analyzes the applicability of the Canadian experience to the Israeli context and contains preliminary conclusions and recommendations as to the transferability of this experience.