Gender and the Urban in the Twenty-First Century

This chapter takes the international debates of the UN and the EU regarding a New Urban Agenda as its starting point for reconceptualizing a gendered urban agenda for the twenty-first century. While recalling the controversial debate on the implementation of a ‘gender-mainstreaming strategy’, the chapter reflects on the need to reconceptualize gender as a constitutive versus nominal essence to advance the debate. Theoretical criteria are suggested that mirror the complexity of gendered practices and create the conditions for their flourishing. These are further explicated for their policy relevance. Gender-sensitive policies, inspired by an analysis of an urban life experiment concerning food production in Mondeggi, Italy, are suggested.