How to reverse this situation in the future?
In her text Gender and territorial planning: an approximation (2007), Paula Santoro states that, when it comes to planning and building urban spaces, the perspective of gender is fundamental because it explores the boundaries between individual and political spheres, public and domestic territories, attempting to recognize cultural diversity as the key to a new way of city planning. In other words, we are not all the same and, therefore, our demands for cities and infrastructure are different.
To do so, we must distance ourselves from generic and quantitative reasoning, and engage with micro realities, paying attention to the views and behavior of women and other marginalized groups in the city.
It is well known and well documented that women often face sexual harassment, or even violence, on public transportation. Women are not always safe and do not often feel safe on public transit, and often choose other modes, like private cars, taxis, or ride-ride, or simply opt to not travel at all. In this way, women do not have equal or equitable access to urban mobility or the city they live in.
This is true across the world, in nations with extreme levels of gender inequality, as well as countries that are often as having evolved past gender inequality. This is certainly true in Chicago and on the CTA. To mitigate actual and perceived risks for women in transit spaces, design strategies can be effective, but are not all equally effective.