Urban Gender Journey

In an increasingly urbanized world, the global challenge is to ensure that cities provide safe and healthy living environments, thriving economies and social benefits for diverse groups for generations to come. Today, more than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, with almost 90% concentrated in Asia and Africa. The trend towards urbanization is set to continue, with city dwellers expected to account for 68% of the world’s population by 2050. In addition, it should be noted that 24.2% of the world’s urban population lives in slums, mainly concentrated in three regions: Central and South Asia (359 million), East and Southeast Asia (306 million) and Sub-Saharan Africa (230 million) (UN, 2020). When examining the drivers of urban growth, one of the main factors to consider is urban migration. The United Nations defines urbanization as the process by which people move from rural areas to cities in search of economic, social, political and environmental opportunities. The decision to migrate is a multi-faceted one, shaped by both “push” factors associated with conditions in the country of origin and “pull” factors associated with the perception of life in the destination country, as described by Lee in 1966.

As urban environments evolve, it is essential to explore the positive effects of a gender-based approach to urban design on social integration, economic growth, and sustainability for all. This research seeks to investigate the potential benefits and challenges of such an approach, its impact on gender disparities, and its overall effect on urban well-being. As such, following Charles Correa’s statement to promote land redistribution and social reform in villages, in order to increase their retention capacity (Correa, 1989), this research focuses on the dynamics and impacts of migration from rural areas to the urban settlements of Sylhet City and how can gender-responsive urban and housing design contribute to habitat improvement of urban poor migrants in growing second-tier cities like Sylhet, Bangladesh?