Introducing the Liverpool Feminist City Network

The Liverpool Feminist City Network has been launched to offer a space for University of Liverpool researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to connect and address the question of how can we live more justly in an urban world.

Convened by Professor Catherine Durose, Co-director of the Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place and Dr Catherine Queen, Lecturer in Planning, the network is re-framing conversations on urban design, public space, public safety, governance, institutional design, and public policy and services in order to understand how can we create cities that work better, not only for women, but for us all.

A ‘Feminist City’ is one which is human-centred and inclusive of marginalised groups, and this network considers how women experience and engage with the city, and harnesses debate and ongoing address ongoing challenges with this idea.

To date, this network has convened a series of networking events at the University of Liverpool, bringing together researchers working across a range of disciplines whose work in different ways engages with the idea of the Feminist City. For example, Dr Catherine Queen’s collaborative work with ARUP and the UNDP on a ‘gender responsive’ approach to planning and design of cities was shortlisted in the Times Higher Education Awards 2023.

This work aligns closely with the University’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG 5), reduce inequalities within and between countries (Goal 10) and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Goal 11).

The network meets regularly to share and profile their research activity, and provoke research connections and collaborations and is open to researchers and scholars (including doctoral students) across disciplines and Faculties. Collaborations between network members involve co-supervision of doctoral students and externally-funded research applications.

Professor Catherine Durose said “The Liverpool Feminist City network provides a means of mobilising different kinds of expertise from within and outside the University to focus on how we can ensure that the cities of the future are inclusive of all’

Dr Catherine Queen said “The gender bias built into the design of cities has had a negative effect on the lives of women around the world and designing cities that are responsive to the needs of women creates safer, healthier, fairer and more enriching places for all. Research emerging from the University has already had a global impact and the Feminist City Network is a significant opportunity to inspire new collaborations and research. opportunities”

Catch Professor Catherine Durose and Dr Catherine Queen discussing feminist cities on the Original Ideas podcast

To find out more about the Liverpool Feminist City Network, visit our website.

To join the Liverpool Feminist City network and to have your work profiled, please contact heseltine@liverpool.ac.uk.