GENDERED ACTIVITY MAPPING ACROSS HIERARCHIES OF URBAN GREEN SPACES: A CASE OF DELHI

Charu Arora Mathur; Rashmi Ashtt

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i13s.2026.8132

Authors

Charu Arora Mathur Associate Professor (Visiting Faculty), Department of Architecture and Planning, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi, India
Dr. Rashmi Ashtt Professor, Department of Architecture and Planning, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i13s.2026.8132

Keywords:

Gendered Public Space, Urban Green Spaces, Activity Mapping, Gender-Responsive Planning, Park Hierarchy, Safety Perception, Inclusive Design

Abstract [English]

Urban green spaces (UGS) are widely acknowledged as critical infrastructures supporting public health, environmental sustainability, and social wellbeing. However, growing evidence suggests that their benefits are not equitably experienced across gender groups. This study examines gendered patterns of use across different hierarchies of urban green spaces in Delhi using systematic activity mapping. Empirical observations were conducted in four parks located in Rohini, North-West Delhi, representing regional, district, and neighborhood-level green spaces. Activities were recorded across weekdays and weekends during morning and evening periods and categorized into active and passive uses, disaggregated by gender.

The findings reveal persistent gender disparities across all park hierarchies. Active recreational zones—including jogging tracks, open gyms, and sports courts—are consistently male-dominated irrespective of park scale. Female participation is concentrated in passive and social activities such as walking, seating, children’s play, and group interaction. Women’s presence increases during evenings and weekends, indicating that temporal accessibility, crowd density, and perceived safety strongly influence usage. Notably, neighborhood parks exhibit the highest degree of gender imbalance, highlighting everyday spatial exclusion rather than occasional access barriers.

The study demonstrates that overall footfall is an inadequate indicator of inclusivity; instead, selective activity-based usage patterns provide a more accurate assessment of gender sensitivity. Based on empirical evidence, the paper proposes a gender-responsive planning framework emphasizing visibility, comfort-oriented infrastructure, mixed-use zoning, and temporal flexibility. The research contributes to urban planning discourse by offering data-driven insights to support equitable and inclusive design of urban green spaces in Delhi.

References

A. Acharya and R. Jain, “Gender inclusivity in neighborhood parks of Indian metros,” Journal of Urban Design, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 467–485, 2022.

A. Argelich, “Designing public spaces for gender equity,” Urban Design International, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1–14, 2023.

A. Byrne and J. Wolch, “Nature, race, and parks: Gendered implications,” Social & Cultural Geography, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 1–22, 2019.

A. Datta, “Gendering urban policy in India,” Urban Studies, vol. 58, no. 8, pp. 1–17, 2021.

A. Jansson, “Reclaiming public space for women,” Urban Design International, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 283–297, 2020.

A. Madanipour, Cities in Time: Temporary Urbanism and the Future of the City, London, UK: Bloomsbury, 2017.

A. Peters, “Gender, mobility, and public space in developing cities,” Transport Reviews, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 1–20, 2018.

A. Sezavar, H. Rafieian, and M. Sharifi, “GIS-based safety assessment of urban parks for women,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 79, pp. 127–139, 2023.

A. Sreetheran and C. van den Bosch, “Women’s preferences in urban green spaces,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 35, pp. 1–9, 2018.

A. Whitzman, Making Safer Cities for Women, London, UK: Routledge, 2018.

C. Moser, Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training, London, UK: Routledge, 2016.

D. Daniel, “Gender, safety, and public space,” Urban Studies, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 491–507, 2016.

D. Haase et al., “Greening cities – gender and social equity dimensions,” Sustainability, vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 1–19, 2017.

E. Kajosaari, M. Kyttä, and T. Broberg, “Activity mapping for gender-sensitive urban design,” Journal of Urban Design, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 45–62, 2024.

G. L. Wungo, T. Kefale, and M. Sezavar, “Gender-inclusive design of urban green spaces: A systematic review,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 1–21, 2023.

Government of India, National Urban Policy Framework, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, New Delhi, India, 2018.

Guduza, S., and Tshelane, M. (2026). The Role of Education in Perpetuating or Reducing Social Inequality: A Comparative Analysis Across Socioeconomic Groups with Case Studies from Sweden, the United States, and South Africa., ShodhSamajik: Journal of Social Studies., 3(1), 84-95. https://doi.org/10.29121/ShodhSamajik.v3.i1.2026.69

J. Carmona, C. de Magalhães, and L. Hammond, Public Space: The Management Dimension, London, UK: Routledge, 2019.

J. Gehl and B. Svarre, How to Study Public Life, Washington, DC, USA: Island Press, 2018.

J. Gehl, Cities for People, Washington, DC, USA: Island Press, 2018.

J. Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York, NY, USA: Vintage Books, 2016.

J. Rendell, B. Penner, and I. Borden, Gender Space Architecture, London, UK: Routledge, 2017.

K. Gauvin, M. Barnett, and P. Kestens, “Proximity and gendered access to green spaces,” Health & Place, vol. 64, pp. 102–118, 2020.

K. Lorenc et al., “Crime, fear of crime, environment and mental health,” Social Science & Medicine, vol. 161, pp. 1–10, 2016.

L. Mehta, “Gender, safety, and urban informality,” Third World Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 1–17, 2020.

L. Valentine, “Women’s fear and the design of public space,” Built Environment, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 52–66, 2018.

M. Franck and B. Paxson, “Women and urban public space,” Built Environment, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 431–448, 2017.

M. Kyttä, A. Broberg, T. Haybatollahi, and E. Schmidt-Thomé, “Urban happiness: Context-sensitive study of public spaces,” Environment and Planning B, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 34–57, 2016.

M. Navarrete-Hernandez, F. Munoz, and A. Hurtubia, “Urban parks and women’s safety perception,” Cities, vol. 115, pp. 103–120, 2021.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, New Delhi, India, 2019.

National Institute of Urban Affairs, Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Governance, New Delhi, India, 2020.

OECD, Gender Equality and Urban Policy, Paris, France: OECD Publishing, 2022.

P. van den Berg, T. Hartig, and J. Staats, “Preference for nature and restoration,” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 35, pp. 1–10, 2016.

R. J. Chiesura, “The role of urban parks for sustainable cities,” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 129–138, 2016.

R. Mahadevia and H. Lathia, “Public spaces and gender in Indian cities,” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 54, no. 47, pp. 45–53, 2019.

R. Maruthaveeran and S. van den Bosch, “Safety perceptions in urban parks,” Landscape Research, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 1–16, 2017.

R. Shaw, “Women, fear, and everyday urbanism,” Gender, Place & Culture, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 1–19, 2020.

S. A. Rigolon, “Parks and young people: Gender disparities in park use,” Journal of Urban Affairs, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 1–19, 2018.

S. Basu, P. Mitra, and A. Dutta, “Gender, safety perception and access to public parks in Indian cities,” Urban Studies, vol. 58, no. 12, pp. 2501–2518, 2021.

S. Brace, “Gendered negotiation of public space,” Gender, Place & Culture, vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 1301–1318, 2021.

S. Kabisch, A. Qureshi, and D. Haase, “Human–environment interactions in urban green spaces,” Landscape Ecology, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 683–698, 2017.

S. Loukaitou-Sideris, “Gendered use of urban space: Public parks and women’s safety,” Journal of Urban Affairs, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 1–18, 2016.

S. Negi, “Gendered access to urban green spaces in Delhi,” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Planning, SPA Delhi, India, 2017.

S. Phadke, S. Khan, and S. Ranade, Why Loiter? Women and Risk on Mumbai Streets, New Delhi, India: Penguin Books, 2019.

S. Sang, J. Kim, and H. Lee, “Gender differences in urban park use and activity patterns,” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 198, pp. 103–114, 2020.

S. Sugiyama and N. Thompson, “Gender differences in walking behavior,” Health & Place, vol. 33, pp. 1–8, 2015.

S. Valentine, “Fear, gender and everyday urban life,” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 101–118, 2017.

T. Kefale, G. Wungo, and A. Bekele, “Gender-sensitive urban parks in African cities,” Cities, vol. 137, pp. 104–118, 2023.

UN Women, Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Results Report, New York, NY, USA, 2021.

UNDP, Gender Equality in Urban Development, New York, NY, USA: United Nations Development Programme, 2021.

UN-Habitat, Gender Toolkit: Integrating Gender in Urban Planning and Design, Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2022.

World Bank, Enhancing Women’s Safety in Public Spaces, Washington, DC, USA: World Bank Group, 2020.

X. Liu, Y. Zhang, and H. Chen, “Spatio-temporal gender differences in urban park use,” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 244, pp. 104–120, 2024.

Y. Wang, J. Brown, and S. Liu, “Gendered use of public parks: Spatial and social determinants,” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 162, pp. 1–12, 2017.