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CATALOGUE OF POSITIVE
ACTIONS European Charter for Women in the City 1995 |
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THEME A: URBAN
PLANNING
01 A NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGNED BY WOMEN Schellerbroek -
the Netherlands THEME B: WOMEN ARCHITECTS 10 WOMEN ARCHITECTS IN THE NETHERLANDS THEME C: HOUSING 17 A COMFORTABLE HOME Dwelling, Gender and Identity THEME D: SOCIAL SAFETY 26 SYMBOLIC ACTION IN DORTMUND Against an Underground
Passage THEME E: INSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVES 37 NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION FOR A HUMAN CITY THEME F: KNOWLEDGE 47 OECD Conference 1994 - Women in the City Housing THEME G: WOMEN IN SOUTH COUNTRIES 58 WOMEN AND UNITED NATIONS Global Strategy for Shelter to
the Year 2000 THEME A: URBAN PLANNING 01. Schellerbroek - the Netherlands
• Present and carry out the ideas of women; bring in new qualities of housing and planning. 2. author and partners: The councillor for planning and housing of the municipality of Zwolle, Margriet Meindertsma, the Foundation Experimental Housing (SEV), the director of the housing company, Heero Meindersma and VAC-member Harkolien Meinsma. 3. Date and duration of the action: 1992 4. origin of the information contact - correspondent address: Municipality of Zwolle, Mrs I. van den Hoogen, Menno van Coehoornsingel 16, NL-8011 XA Zwolle tel.: (31-38) 98 25 42 5. File writer: Liesbeth Ottes (SEIROV/NIROV)
DESCRIPTION • Schellerbroek is a district within the municipality of Zwolle in the Netherlands, which was mainly planned and realised by women. It was an experiment using women's views as the basic ideas for setting up of a completely new residential area. A part of the new residential area of southern Zwolle was planned as a neighbourhood in which the wishes of residents concerning their daily environment were taken into account from the start. This was made possible by a functional mixture of living, working and recreational activities within the residential area. The park facilities are designed to be used actively. Social safety, both in the neighbourhood itself and in the links with the other parts of the city, is an important part of the plan. Housing designs are flexible, so they can accomodate all kinds of households. Besides, individual houses can be connected to rented rooms which can be for working at home, shared day care or anything else, becoming thus an important element of the house. SEV: Stuurgroep Experimenten Volkshuisvesting Antwoordnr 5527 tel: (31-10) 413 09 35 fax:(31-10) 413 09 35
02. NEW COMMUNITIES - DID THEY GET IT RIGHT? A Conference Organised by Women in Scotland
DESCRIPTION • The Conference, more than predominantly female, brought together Planners, Planning and Housing students, Councillors and other professionals. There were broad objectives proposed for the day: - To encourage an exchange of ideas and information, promote discussion and generate awareness of women's needs in new communities by bringing together those who care about planning and its consequences - To focus on issues identified and discuss ways which the planning profession and planning policies can respond to the needs of women in new planned environments. In the selection of new communities to be investigated the progression of Planning is mirrored - Craigmillar, Edinburgh, Cumbernauld New Town and the G.E.A.R. area, Glasgow. The papers presented were provided by speakers from diverse backgrounds.
03. A NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGNED BY WOMEN Frauen-Werk-Stadt in Vienna, Austria
DESCRIPTION • Approximately 350 housing units in Vienna will be built in an urban expansion area as a subsidised multi-storey development. The lot is 2.3 hectares large and is located in the northern part of the town, in close proximity to some densely built-up urban areas, and is connected to the public transport network. The City of Vienna and the building co-operative of the Trade Union of Clerical Employees were selected as builders. A group of young feminist women architects was entrusted with the task of formulating the requirements for a woman-friendly project. A definite decision was taken in favour of the master project submitted by Franziska Ullman. Three other architects (Gisela Podreka, Else Prochazka and Liselotte Peretti) were recommended to the builders for individual sub-projects. Features of the project: - Links are drawn between the interior and the exterior of the buildings. - Staircases are wide and well-lit to avoid frightening danger zones. - The often neglected 'storage spaces', such as rooms to store bicycles and prams, are located on the ground floor and easily accessible. Laundry rooms will be situated at the top of buildings so that roofs can be used for drying the laundry and subsequently become communication spots. - Creation of 'social space': on average there are only four units per storey, in order to avoid anonymity and enhance neighbourhood relations; the staircases are designed as pleasant places where tenants can communicate with each other. - A high degree of security is guaranteed by an open-structure underground garage with natural lighting. It is situated under the buildings, and each staircase has its own access. Unoccupied garage lots might be used as rooms for leisure activities. - In the flats, special attention was given to the kitchens as central places of housework. Almost all flats are provided with some individual open space (terrace or balcony). Future tenants will have a say in determining the final layout. - With respect to infrastructure facilities, the project will require 1 kindergarten, 1 medical surgery, 1 communication centre, 1 police station and about 800 sq. m of commercial area to cover everyday requirements.
04. WOMEN ORIENTED HOUSING UNITS IBA-Competition in Germany
DESCRIPTION Within the framework of the IBA Enscher Park, a 28 housing unit competition for women achitects wa lauched in Bergkamen in 1990. The project of Monika Melchior and Heike Töpper of Bielefeld wa chosen by a commission made only of women and was caried out by a local building contractor. The housing units had to be women-oriented, i.e. all rooms were to have the same dimensions with flexible walls, no dark staircases, storage rooms for prams, bicycles, etc.., and a common garage surface. Future tenants took part in the preliminary work (choice of neighbours, dimension and layout of the kitchens). Careful attention was given to maintaining a balance between the renants: young and old, co-housing groups, small families, immigrants and single-parent families. Constructions did not exceed the usual costs of social housing units and were carried out according to ecological criteria.
05. WOMEN-ORIENTED HOUSING UNITS Upgrading of a Hospital in the Netherlands
DESCRIPTION (English-Anglais) • In 1985 it was publicly announced that a hospital was going to move from Amsterdam to Almere, a new town in the Amsterdam area. A group of women then took their chance and asked to transform the 100 year-old building into a residential and business project for women. They designed plans, applied for subsidies, took care of a proper PR-policy, contacted all the persons concerned, etc. They also carried out thorough viability investigations. The business facilities in the building are set up for starting entrepreneurs, but business plans have to be financially viable. The project includes 32 business offices, 16 flats and two co-housing projects. After a few years, the action-committee became a foundation. In 1990 the hospital left the building and in 1992 renovations were completed. A large part of the building (25%) is now controlled by women. The residents pay their rents to the municipal company, but they have a say in the allocation of the accomodation. The entrepreneurs pay their rents to the BVV foundation, which operates as an intermediate social landlord.
06. A FANTASTIC JOURNEY TO MY CITY A Congress in Vienna in 1994
DESCRIPTION We have already neen forced to think a lot about dark alleys and shady quaters, about parts of the cities which reduce us to outlawed beings who seem to be always available and therefore always needing protection. Ony few of our demand have been taken into account in planning. However, we do not want criticism of patriarchal planning to be only basis of feminist planning. Time has come to dream of cities with open spaces where we could move freely. During the workshop, it becam obvious that visualising such spaces enhance the energy needed to create and find them in our cities. This conceptualisation of dream and real life is important for planners in order not to create unreal spaces. The workshop enabled us to meet in our visionary cities.
07. HOUSING WITHOUT CARS
DESCRIPTION • The project "living without a car" consists in building 250 housing units for people who do not own a car. The tenant information is financed by the department for environmental protection and urban development, and by the European programme "Cities without cars". The project should reach the following goals: - reduce traffic noise - reduce air pollution - reduce air pollution - enable children to play in yards - save on land (as no roads are planned, only 2.50-3 m-wide paths suitable for garbage collection and the fire brigade) - reduce costs (3-10% of the total budget) - enhance community awareness (with efforts by each tenant to achieve common aims) - positive ecology balance (car pooling reduces car use by 17%, i.e. power consumption, CO2 emissions, etc.)
08. PROJECT OF WOMEN-ORIENTED NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING
(FOPA = Feminististische Organisation Planerinnen und Achitektinnen) 3. Date and duration of the action: • From 1992 to August 1994. 4. origin of the information Contact - correspondent address: Marita Grot, FOPA e.V. Adlerstr. 81 D - 44137 Dortmund tel: (49-231) 14 33 29 fax: (49-231) 16 21 74 5. File writer: Ute Beik (FOPA) DESCRIPTION • The project 'women-oriented neighbourhood planning; participation and effects' was carried out in Hagen-Vorhalle (a district of 12,200 inhabitants, with a young population and a high proportion of children and immigrants) since 1992. The project is financed by the Ministry of urban development and transport and the Ministry of equal opportunities of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen and the City of Hagen. Within the framework of the action, an office was set up where women interested in the project could meet the director of the project (an urban planner from FOPA) and a social worker. The office was also used for permanent education for women. For two years, the women of Vorhalle dealt with the following topics: - traffic and security of the access to school - security in the public areas - women-oriented space development - neighbourhood services and employment - housing The proposals of the women were summed up in a plan submitted to the municipality for implementation in May 1994.
09. PARTICIPATION OF THE INHABITANTS Alternative Proposal for the Upgrading of a Refugee Settlement in Thebes
DESCRIPTION • The programme concerns the old refugee settlement in Thebes. The district shows every sign of general deterioration; yet, the population has a common background and social relations are very dense. For instance, the women have taken over some sections of public space by doing domestic chores in the courtyards or in the streets, changing thus the traditional boundaries of public and private space (which correspond to the traditional division of space between women and men) and escaping from the contactless universe of secluded housewives. Within the framework of the project, the women will participate in the upgrading of the settlement through committees, co-operatives and training programmes which will enable them to take care of all social and commercial services in the district.
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