How can spatial planning and development foster sustainable and just transformations?

How can spatial transformations be shaped to foster social and ecological justice? What role do gender relations and other power structures play in the planning and development of cities and regions? And how can knowledge from research, policy and planning practice be integrated to initiate transformative change?

These are the questions addressed by the international Forum Gender and Spatial Transformation of the ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association. The newly published Mission Statement reflects the Forum's interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, establishing a shared understanding of key terms and concepts for their future collaboration. Furthermore, the Forum sets out the requirement to consistently integrate intersectional gender perspectives into spatial transformation processes. The Mission Statement highlights that gender is not merely an individual characteristic, but a structural phenomenon shaping societal power relations and our spatial environments. The Forum thus aims to critically question existing power relations and to explore new pathways for inclusive and sustainable spatial development.

The Mission Statement and the German summary are available for download here: www.arl-international.com/activities/gender-and-spatial-transformation

• Mission Statement (English)
• Mission Statement Kurzfassung (German)