In Vienna, all aspects of urban life are impacted by the aim of being an inclusive and gender-neutral destination, according to an article from the BBC. It cites the example of the well-known square Reumannplatz, where an outdoor platform was requested as a performance space by the girls at a nearby school. It is part of a gender-sensitive redesign that also includes workout stations, a playground and some 50 new trees.
The strategy Vienna is using to achieve gender equality in society is called "gender mainstreaming". The head of the Department for Gender Mainstreaming, Ursula Bauer, explains in the article that this takes many forms, such as ensuring that public transportation includes illustrations of men with children to signal seats reserved for parents. There are also wide pavements for mothers navigating the city with prams, while the whole public transportation network is wheelchair accessible.
Another key area of the strategy is urban planning. Gender planning expert, Eva Kail, noticed that the perspective of teenage girls was missing from parks. The result of her subsequent research was larger areas for football being divided into smaller spaces so that multiple groups could play; additional seating areas, such as hammocks; and public toilets in parks.
There has also been a lot of activism and political support for the LGBTQ community in Vienna, according to the article. For example, across the city there are illustrations of same-sex couples in traffic lights. Vienna also recently unveiled its first transgender crosswalk. According to Dominique Mras, the member of parliament who came up with the idea, the pink, blue and white crossing is “an important symbol to help open up the conversation around gender diversity”.
