Att köna det gröna : En studie av sociotopkarteringsmetoden som verktyg för genusanalys av offentliga miljöer

Rational, objective and gender neutral; these are words that describe how urban planning historically has been perceived. The truth is that the cities we live in today, almost exclusively are planned and built by men, which tend to reflect male expressions and experiences. From a female point of view this could mean that the design of the urban spaces has flaws.There are research and statistics that show that men and women exist in the urban space on different terms. How these genderspecific needs should be made visible and applicable in urban planning is not totally obvious. The needs might also vary between different places, so a strategy that works for one area, might not work for another.The aim of this study has been to evaluate which methods that can be used to map public places from a gender perspective. This in order to create a planning base that can enable a gender equal urban planning. For the litterature study, gender theory and gender differences relative to urban spaces has been studied. Laws and regulations for gender equality along with planningmethods for gender equality are also represented in this section.A case study have been implemented in Böleäng, a district in Umeå, where a mapping of sociotopes with a genderperspective has been used. The study contains an expert evaluation and a user evaluation. The expert evaluation contains observations, a space syntax-analysis and an accessibility analysis. The user evaluation contains an internet survey, four individual interviews, a group interview and a workshop with kids. The results of the study show that mapping of sociotopes is a useful method to show differences in use of urban spaces between men and women. The flexibility of the method enables the use of necessary methods for analysis in order to aim the study in a desirable direction.The study further shows that the use of urban spaces between men and women is not that different when it comes to parks and green areas in the centre of the district. A small difference in use can be seen in more outlying natural areas, where women to a higher extent have entered values associated with outdoor life and social activities. The biggest difference between men and women though has to do with unsafety where women to a higher extent then men limits their use of public spaces due darkness, desolation, low human flows and fear of assault.Validerat; 20160330 (global_studentproject_submitter