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‘Chandigarh progressive, but can do more to make public spaces inclusive’
To find out if Chandigarh is planned for people from all walks of life, “City for All” initiative, spearheaded by Swati Janu of Social Design Collaborative, along with students of architecture, went to six localities in the city and interacted with residents
City Beautiful takes pride in being the best-planned city in the country. But is it planned for people of all age groups, gender, abilities, and economic backgrounds?
To find out, the “City for All” initiative, spearheaded by Swati Janu of Social Design Collaborative, along with students of architecture, went to six localities – Manimajra, Hallomajra, Bapu Dham and Sectors 22, 34 and 8 – in Chandigarh and interacted with residents. The team found that while people of Chandigarh are very proud of their city, only a few who work here are able to afford housing within the city.
In terms of gender-inclusion, the city fared well. “Chandigarh is by and large a safe city. But many women feel unsafe stepping out at night or taking an auto,” says Swati.
“When we speak of gender equality, we often forget the transgender community. Chandigarh is progressive and one of the first few cities in India to have separate toilets for transgenders. But, there is so much more that needs to be done. For instance, when you are in a bus, there are seats reserved for the elderly, people with disabilities and women; but not for transgender people,” added Janu.
Echoing her views, Dhananjay, Panjab University’s first transgender student, says, “While we managed to build washrooms for transgender students in the university, we are still fighting for hostel rights. PU doesn’t have a proper policy for third gender students.”
She adds that public spaces like malls are often not accessible to the transgender community as they lack simple arrangements such as a security screening space for the third gender.
“The LGBT community needs a sense of safety in public spaces. When a person from third gender enters a public space, they have to endure people’s gaze. Some even go on to mock them. For this to change, there is need for more sensitisation,” added Dhananjay.
To encourage discourse on the topic, an exhibition has been put up at the Sector 16/17 underpass as part of the fourth edition of BonjourIndia 2022, a cultural initiative put together by the French Cooperation Network in India. The exhibition will be open to the public all through the day on Sunday.
