Women’s Mobility Challenges and Solutions in Mexico City

Abstract

Feminist urban theory sustains that the built environment symbolizes and perpetuates patriarchal power relations; because cities were originally designed as industrial hubs dominated by men, they are hostile to women by design. This theory is exemplified by Mexico City, where women face a unique set of challenges while interacting with the built environment, especially in regard to urban mobility. The city is designed without consideration of womens’ specific needs, such as their unique mobility patterns and their needs for illuminated, secure transportation nodes. Car-centric urban design inherently benefits men while putting women - who primarily walk, bike, or take public transportation due to economic inequities - at risk. Additionally, 9 out of 10 women who regularly use public transportation in Mexico City have experienced sexual harassment - a violent manifestation of the patriarchal value that women do not belong in the public sphere. Since 1977, Mexico City has introduced women-only cars on its metro and has since introduced women-only buses and taxis. While these initiatives are crucial to increasing women’s safety and autonomy, they fail to address the root of the issue: the societal values that have allowed a patriarchal built environment to exist.