The journey home: Are our cities built for women?
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Do you feel safe where you live, especially after dark?
For many women and girls, the answer is not always yes.
Whether it is taking a bus home, walking through a park, visiting a market or spending time in a public square, simple everyday activities can feel very different depending on who you are.
That is why gender equality is essential to building communities that are truly inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Cities are not gender-neutral
Imagine the end of a typical day. You leave work, pick up your child from school, stop at the pharmacy, buy groceries and head home. The bus stop is poorly lit. The sidewalk is uneven. The quickest route takes you through a park that no longer feels safe after dark.
For many women—especially those caring for children, accompanying older relatives or navigating the city with a disability—these are not occasional inconveniences. They are part of everyday life.
A simple trip across town can require careful calculation. Is the route well lit? Will the bus arrive on time? Will it feel safe to wait alone? Concerns about harassment in public spaces and on public transport can also shape women’s decisions that many others take for granted. Yet legal protections remain uneven: across Europe and Central Asia, only 8 of 18 countries have laws prohibiting sexual harassment, which often happen in public spaces.
By 2050, nearly 70 per cent of the world's population is expected to live in urban areas. Yet today, only 44.2 per cent of urban residents have convenient access to open public spaces. Women often experience these gaps differently. Because they continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work. They are more likely to be travelling with children, pushing strollers, carrying shopping bags or accompanying older family members.
Safe and accessible sidewalks, pedestrian pathways, parks, reliable public transport and accessible childcare services are not conveniences—they are essential services that make it easier for women to participate in work, community life and decision-making.
Access to these services varies across the region. In 2020, the share of city residents with convenient access to public transport ranged from 39.9 per cent in Tajikistan to 67.6 per cent in North Macedonia and 74 per cent in Moldova.
As cities grow, other challenges emerge as well. Traffic congestion and air pollution can affect people's health and well-being, with women—particularly older women—often facing greater vulnerabilities due to existing inequalities in health, income and caregiving responsibilities. As Biljana Kalamadevska, Coordinator for Equal Opportunities in the Municipality of Berovo, North Macedonia, puts it: "Safe public spaces are not just an infrastructure issue; they are about dignity, equality, and the right to move freely".
Women shape stronger communities
Women are not only affected by urban development—they are essential to shaping it. Across the region, women are helping create more resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities.
In Georgia, community leader Giulnara Elizbarian has seen firsthand how women can transform local decision-making.
"Where we once hesitated to speak, we now understand that expressing our opinions is not only possible but necessary", she says.
Today, women in her village actively participate in local meetings, identify community priorities and work with local authorities to address them. Their contributions are increasingly recognized, and many now see that when women speak up at village assemblies, the entire community benefits.
"My experience shows that even one woman's voice can drive change."
Driving change across the region
UN Women partners with governments, municipalities and communities across the region to make cities and communities safer, more inclusive and more resilient for women and girls.
This includes supporting gender-responsive urban planning, strengthening women's leadership, promoting investments in safe public spaces and advancing disaster risk reduction efforts that recognize women's needs and contributions.
In Albania, support for community-based childcare services is enabling more women to enter, remain and thrive in the workforce, creating new pathways to employment, economic independence and opportunity.
In Georgia, rural women are building resilience to disaster and climate-related risks by gaining practical skills to protect their households, strengthening community preparedness and contributing to local decision-making.
In Kosovo1, UN Women and partners are helping rural women access agricultural equipment that reduces heavy manual labour, strengthen livelihoods and contribute to more resilient rural communities.
In Ukraine, the She Drives initiative is helping women enter a profession that keeps the country moving. As women train and work as bus and truck drivers, they are expanding their economic opportunities, challenging stereotypes, and demonstrating that public services work better when more women are part of shaping and delivering them.
Building communities that work for everyone requires putting resources behind commitments. Yet only four countries in Europe and Central Asia systematically budget for gender equality.
The future of our cities will depend on whether women's realities are treated as an afterthought—or as a foundation for change.
[1] For UN Women, references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).
With just four years left until the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development deadline, it is worth asking how much progress has been made - and what challenges remain. Ahead of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, taking place from 7 to 15 July, several goals will be reviewed in-depth, including SDG 11 aimed at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.