Women, men, girls and boys are differentially affected by the conditions of urbanization. For instance, women are ???invariably disadvantaged compared to men in cities in terms of equal access to employment and shelter, health and education, transport, asset ownership, experiences of urban violence and ability to exercise their rights. These disadvantages are especially marked for poor urban women???1 These gendered dimensions of cities require continual examination if inequalities are to be understood and addressed for equitable and sustainable development. The Research unit can potentially help enhance understanding of this human-urban environment interface from gender perspectives.

This issue guide focuses attention on urban basic services in order to illuminate the effects of gender on equality of access and inclusion in the areas of urban energy, urban transport and water and sanitation. This issue guide further seeks to broadly outline the where and how of gender responsive interventions in order to strengthen planned and future actions that can go a long way to reduce poverty and overcome obstacles to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Access to adequate housing is a fundamental human right and is enshrined in numerous international agreements and conventions. Yet millions of women and men continue to live in towns and cities without security of tenure and with inadequate housing and related services. This guide’s objectives are:

• To increase understanding of gender concerns and needs in housing and slum upgrading 
• To develop capacity to address gender issues in this area 
• To encourage the integration of a gender perspective into policies, projects, and programmes for sustainable urban development 
• To support the institutionalization of the culture of gender mainstreaming and gender equality, the implementation of gender-sensitive projects and programmes, and the monitoring of gender-mainstreaming progress.

While many cities are hubs of economic growth, employment, and cultural life, urbanization has resulted in pronounced socioeconomic inequalities, exclusion, and segregation. The objective of this gender issue guide on urban planning and design is to:

• Increase understanding of gender concerns and needs in urban planning and design;
• Develop capacity to address gender issues in select human settlement areas 
• Encourage integration of gender perspectives into policies, projects, and programmes for sustainable urban development 
• Support institutionalization of the culture of gender mainstreaming and gender equality through the implementation of gender-sensitive projects/programmes and the monitoring of gender mainstreaming progress

This publication, from the Global Land Tool Network, presents a mechanism for effective inclusion of women and men in land tool development and outlines methodologies and strategies for systematically developing land tools that are responsive to both women and men’s needs. Equal property rights for women and men are fundamental to social and economic gender equality. However, women often face discrimination in formal, informal and customary systems of land tenure.

Around the world, women encounter barriers of social customs or patriarchal tenure systems which prevent them from obtaining and holding the same rights as men to land This report provides a conceptual outline answering questions such as why gender responsive land tools are necessary. The second part provides an overview of the components required for large scale gender responsive tool development. The third part deals with strategies necessary for the implementation of this mechanism.

Taken together, these aspects define how the GLTN Gender Mechanism operates. The report will assist programme planners and decision makers at different levels of the land sector with or without gender expertise—in identifying practical ways to make land tools more effective for both women and men.

In many cities women and girls face violence not only in their homes and in relationships, but also in public spaces due to poor urban design and poor management of public spaces. Whether it is due to threats, intimidation, harassment, sexual attacks or rape, all aggression seriously inhibits women from moving around the city because they feel unsafe. Women and girls are often targets of violence due to their vulnerability, and this vulnerability perpetuates their position in society.

One of the ways in which women can feel safer and fully benefit from the services and resources cities can offer is to actively seek changes in their physical environment by working together with municipal authorities and other community institutions and groups. The Women's Safety Audit is a tool that enables a critical evaluation of the urban environment.

The Women's Safety Audit tool was first developed in Canada following the recommendations of the 1989 report on violence against women and has further been developed by UN-HABITAT in the cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Dar es Salaam, Abidjan, Nairobi and Warsaw.

Women are at risk of violence both in public and private spheres, in and around the home, in neighbourhoods and at city level. Risk is infl uenced by urban design choices and the organisation of public services including transport and energy, amongst other things. Women experience a higher degree of insecurity which can restrict their access and use of the city. UN-HABITAT supports sustainability and inclusiveness in our cities.But women and girls still experience a higher degree of insecurity as compared to men and boys, which limits their access to city services.

To create inclusive cities that respect the rights of everyone, we need to create conditions and physical environments where women, men, girls and boys can live, work, go to school, move around, and socialise without fear of harm. We also need to change attitudes and policies that perpetuate violence against women. This is essential for economic and social development and for meeting the Millennium Development Goal commitments entered into by the international community in 2000.