Designing for Gender Equality in the Developing Context: Developing a Gender-Integrated Design Process to Support Designers’ Seeing, Process, and Space Making Ginger Daniel A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Landscape Architecture University of Washington 2013 Committee: Jeffrey Hou Benjamin Spencer Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Built Environments ©Copyright 2013 Ginger Daniel ABSTRACT Designing for Gender Equality in the Developing Context: Developing a Gender-Integrated Design Process to Support Designers’ Seeing, Process, and Space Making Ginger Daniel University of Washington 2013 Committee Members: Jeffrey Hou (Chair) Benjamin Spencer Focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment has been established as a keystone strategy for addressing all major international development goals. While designers (architects, landscape architects, planners, engineers) are frequently called to serve in the developing world, they are rarely equipped to see and understand the unique challenges created by gender inequality. Without these tools, design interventions may not address these concerns; have the potential to further reinforce existing obstacles, discrimination, or influences of the built environment; and reduce the effectiveness of planned interventions. With this thesis, I examine five fields of expertise to inform a Gender-Integrated Design Process. These fields range from well-established academic frameworks to areas that have been less explored in traditional design practice: the field of Women in Development/Gender and Development; gender, space, and status literature; ergonomics; proxemics; and participatory design. All research reveals that no design is gender neutral and a gender neutral lens perpetuates women’s inequality. To inform and reflect upon the research, I examine six precedents spanning four continents.Through this inquiry, I identify ways to discern, value, and integrate gender into all aspects of the design process, from initial engagement to post-occupancy evaluation. The result of this work is a proposed nine-step Gender- Integrated Design Process to support designers’ seeing, process, and space making. i this page intentionally blank; first pages print one-sided ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Images v Acknowledgements vii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 A Call to Action: Why Should Designers Focus on Gender Equality in the 5 Developing Context? CHAPTER 3 Scope, Positioning, and Methodology 11 CHAPTER 4 Women in Development | Gender and Development: 17 Learning From the Experts CHAPTER 5 Gender, Space, and Status: A Literature Review 35 CHAPTER 6 Ergonomics: Sex and Gender at the Body Scale 55 CHAPTER 7 Proxemics: The Anthropology of (Gendered) Space 63 CHAPTER 8 Participatory and Human Centered Design: 73 Tools to Support the Valuing of Gender CHAPTER 9 Synthesizing Research: 85 Connecting the Dots to Inform a Gender-Integrated Design Process CHAPTER 10 Gender and Design Precedents: Making Space | Space Making 97 Visibilizing Women: Women Are Heroes by JR 101 Partnering With Gender-Aware Organizations: 107 SPARC, NSDF, and Mahila Milan Prioritizing Gender: Skateistan 110 Gender and Prototyping Processes: Catapult and Wello 117 A Closer Look at Gender, Participatory Design, and Design Selection: 125 Pitagoras School Park Design Integrating Gender Into a Studio Environment: 131 Fog Collection in =Lomas de Zapallal CHAPTER 11 Proposed Gender-Integrated Design Process to Support Designers’ 139 Seeing, Process, and Space Making CHAPTER 12 Gender-Integrated Design Checklist 155 CHAPTER 13 Reflection and Next Steps 159 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) 167 Works Cited 172 Image Permissions 173 Appendix: Frameworks and Methodologies 174 Harvard Analysis Framework 176 Moser Framework 178 Gender Analysis Matrix 180 Pomegranate Center Steering Committee Job Description 182 CEDPA Checklist (original) 184 Longwe Women’s Empowerment Framework iv LIST OF IMAGES Image 1: Millennium Development Goals 6 Image 2: Gender-Integrated Design Guidance 9 Image 3: Seeing and Process 13 Image 4: Thesis Methodology 15 Image 5: Sex vs. Gender 19 Image 6: Women in Development vs. Gender and Development 20 Image 7: Disaggregating Household Data 22 Image 8: Women’s Trip Role 24 Image 9: Practical Gender Needs vs. Strategic Gender Needs 25 Image 10: Gender and Development: Seeing Summary 32 Image 11: Gender and Development: Process Summary 33 Image 12: Gendered Spatial Institutions 48 Image 13: Gendered Binaries to Blurred and Valued Realities 50 Image 14: Gender, Space, and Status: Seeing and Process Summary 51-52 Image 15: Ergonomic Differences Between Men and Women 57 Image 16: Ergonomics: Seeing and Process Summary 61 Image 17: Proxemics: Informal Space Table 67 Image 18: Proxemics: Informal Space 68 Image 19: Proxemics: Seeing and Process Summary 71 Image 20: Participatory Design: Seeing and Process 84 Image 21: Cross-Referencing Methods, Distinguishing Goals and Tools 87 Image 22: Goals of Gender-Integrated Design Process 88 Image 23: Tools for Gender-Integrated Design Process 89 Image 24: Connecting Tools to Goals 90 Image 25: Typical Design Cycle 91 Image 26: Connecting Tools to Typical Design Cycle 92 Image 27: Gender-Integrated Design Process Outline 93 Image 28: Seeing Gender: Summary 95 Image 29: Map of Precedent Locations 99 Image 30: Research Themes and Precedents 100 Image 31: Women Are Heroes, JR: Kibera, Kenya 103 Image 32: Indoor Skatepark: Kabul, Afghanistan 108 Image 33: Proposed Walled Outdoor Skatepark: Kabul, Afghanistan 109 Image 34: Community Toilet Block: Mumbai, India 115 Image 35: Community Toilet Block: Mumbai, India 115 Image 36: Community Toilet Block Residents and Caretakers: Mumbai, India 115 Image 37: Typical Water Carrying: Rajasthan, India 118 Image 38: Water Resting Place: Rajasthan, India 119 Image 39: Male Leadership Using Mini-prototype: Rajasthan, India 120 Image 40: Male Leadership Sharing Mini-prototype with Girl: Rajasthan, India 121 Image 41: Male Leadership Sharing Prototype with Women: Rajasthan, India 121 Image 42: Community Meeting Discussing Mini-Prototype: Rajasthan, India 121 Image 43: Wello WaterWheel 2.0 123 Image 44: Community Site Conditions: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 125 Image 45: Pitagoras School Existing Conditions: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 126 Image 46: Pitagoras Park Design Proposal 1: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 128 Image 47: Pitagoras Park Design Proposal 2: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 128 Image 48: Pitagoras Park Design Proposal 3: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 128 Image 49: Pitagoras Park Final Design: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 129 Image 50: Studio Park Site Existing Conditions: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 133 Image 51: Studio Park Site Existing Conditions: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 133 v LIST OF IMAGES (continued) Image 52: Studio Park Site Design Group #2 – Men: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 134 Image 53: Studio Park Site Design Group #3 – Men: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 134 Image 54: Studio Park Site Design Group #5 – Women: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 135 Image 55: Studio Park Site Design Group #7 – Women: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 135 Image 56: Final Studio Design: Lomas de Zapallal, Peru 136 Image 57: Key to Gender-Integrated Design Process 141 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful for the immense confidence and support of my thesis advisors, Jeff Hou and Ben Spencer, who have committed to sharing the transformative power of design with under-served communities around the world. Your work is inspiring and your commitment to addressing gender inequality through design is deeply meaningful and motivating. I have also been lucky to benefit from the mentorship and trailblazing work of Thaisa Way whose scholarship and teaching on gender and landscape has raised the bar for post-modernism academia. Nancy Rottle has been a constant supporter for my macro-scale visions and world-changing passions. Lynne Manzo’s contributions to the field of environmental psychology and social justice have been a critical metronome. I simply cannot thank Luanne Smith enough for her compassionate and effective teaching style, wise counsel, and personal friendship. This thesis represents an accumulation of multiple professional and personal experiences that long precede this masters program. I am particularly indebted to my mentors, all now dear friends, who have helped to shape, inspire, and provide opportunities for my passion for gender equality globally. Caryl Garcia, Ritu Sharma, Valerie Estes, and Sharron Mendel – your fingerprints are on every page. I have also had the great honor of working with trailblazing organizations over the last 15 years that have demonstrated that another world is possible. I honor the important work each continues to do and pay gratitude for the opportunity to have worked beside so many passionate and articulate advocates around the globe: Association for Women in Development (AWID); Peace Corps, Guatemala; Global Fund for Women; Fair Trade USA; The Mosaic Project; and Architects Without Borders – Seattle. I offer a special nod of appreciation for the Bioneers network in integrating social justice and environmental justice, science and spirit, policy and poetry. Our future depends on holistic, interdependent, resilient, values-driven, seven-generation solutions. Thank you for charting this path – many of us in the field of landscape vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (continued) architecture hear your call. I could not have gotten through these last few years without my amazing partner Hallie who is the best model