Where is women’s right to the night in the New Urban Agenda? The need to include an intersectional gender perspective in planning the night

Abstract

Based on a literature review of research conducted on planning the night-time, this paper argues for the need to include in the new urban agenda an intersectional gender perspective in planning the urban night. The paper analyses the existing research on how gendered bodies have been conceptualized in planning and at night, how urban planning has approached the nocturnal sphere, and how fear and safety affect women’s mobility in the nightlife. The literature review reveals that the role of planning in relation to the nocturnal sphere has been to regulate and control what happens at night and who has the right to the night city, but planning the night lacks a gender and intersectional perspective, element that challenges the everyday/everynight life of those people who, due to productive, care and reproductive work, use the city after dark on a regular basis. The paper finishes advocating for including in the New Urban Agenda diverse gendered bodies in planning the night, expanding the debate of planning the night beyond the night-time economy of leisure and consumption, and making visible women’s role in planning the night.