Integrating Gender Mainstreaming into U.S. Planning Practice

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Planners seek to create communities of value that benefit all residents and establish local governmental planning processes that are equitable and just. But while much attention has been paid to historic inequities in outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and low-income households, this conversation has not addressed unequal outcomes by gender.

Increasingly, evidence suggests that men and women have different wants and needs when it comes to built environments, public services, and amenities, and that planning interventions may not meet all those differing needs, especially those of women. It is time for planning approaches in the United States to take a fresh look at the role gender plays in community building, as this historically excluded group comprises half of our communities’ populations. When women are not well supported, communities are not well supported.

This PAS Memo explores gender mainstreaming, a relatively well-established governing and policy-making strategy employed most notably by the European Union to address the persistent imbalance in women’s access to and control of resources, and explains how it can — and why it should — be integrated into U.S. planning practice.

Learn More

Looking to dive even deeper? Then explore gender-inclusive language in planning. Thi s recent edition of PAS QuickNotes explains the importance of using gender-inclusive language in planning and offers examples of gender-inclusive practices and approaches for planners.

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