ABSTRACT
One of the organizing principles of social life, including urban life, is gender. The designers of cities and buildings make certain assumptions about how men and women live and work, resulting in familiar patterns that reinforce the original sexist assumptions about homes and workplaces. Since the early twentieth century, feminists have challenged the traditional views of women's place, at times creating new spaces to support alternative activities and organizations.
An individual's gender intersects with their other social identities, including social class, racial/ethnic identity, and sexual orientation. Some people have organized groups based on their multiple membership (for example, low-income Latina mothers) to challenge powerful groups and advocate for their children. Other groups (for example, gay men) have established distinctive districts that provide them with the specialized goods, services, and spaces to support an alternative lifestyle.
As gender roles change, some visionaries are building spaces that provide alternatives to homes and communities built for the stereotypical nuclear family. Single or divorced parents, working mothers, multi-generational households, elders and their caregivers, can be served by different housing and neighborhood structures, leading to more user-friendly communities.
