[We design space...]

Gender planning has been a focus of the elective course in architecture and spatial planning for years. The motivation for the course was to not only deal with the subject theoretically, but to actively go out and redesign the space. It was conceived on the initiative and idea of the students Eileen Stephan, Emma Neuner and Marie Pointner.

Public space is permeated by power, relations of domination and norms. The course dealt with feminist appropriation of space and looked for creative possibilities of rearrangement. The focus was on the possibilities of self-determined production of a feminist, socially just space. Three aspects were of particular importance:

• Researching/visiting existing places/projects and preparing/preparing literature
• Spatial analysis and development of ideas
• Implementing/realising interventions

The students worked out different topics and projects in groups. All the results were taken out into public space as part of the day of action on 2 June 2022. The result was an exciting mix of exhibition, performance, video installation and party. The interventions were spatially concentrated on Karlsplatz and the main building of the Vienna University of Technology. The appropriated space was (re)used, played with or redesigned in such a way that it corresponded to gender-equitable planning. A special concern of the colleagues was to point out and discuss the existing (gender) injustices in the city.

The results of the course and the intervention were collected in the publication "WHOSE SPACE?" and can thus be viewed in retrospect. Further content, videos and photos can also be found on the website, opens an external URL in a new window.

Would you like to receive a copy of the publication? Then send us an email to region@tuwien.ac.at!