Lecture: Designing Equitable Cities through a Feminist Lens

Tigist Kassahun Temesgen is an architect, urbanist, educator, and researcher from Ethiopia. She is dedicated to advancing African perspectives on urbanism through her roles as a research fellow at universities worldwide. With 15 years of experience across architecture, urbanism, construction, spatial planning, and gender equity, she has worked with private and public sectors, international organizations, academic institutions, and UN agencies in Ethiopia and beyond. She is currently working on her research project focusing on Gender in Space “Designing the ‘in + visible’ spatial equity”: Achieving equitably inclusive equity through a human-centered spatial planning and design. She holds a BSc in Architecture and Urban Planning; Master in human Settlement and MSc in Urbanism and Strategic Planning.

In her keynote lecture, Tigist will explore human-centered, gender-responsive approaches to architecture and urban design, focusing on creating equitable and inclusive spaces. She will examine the often-overlooked consequences of rapid urban growth in African cities, where visible expansion frequently conceals worsening conditions for vulnerable
communities.

The lecture addresses invisible spatial inequities such as safety, economic participation, and acces with an emphasis on gender disparities, inclusion, and well-being. By integrating theories from architecture, urbanism, and gender studies, Tigist introduces four critical spatial attributes - Ownership, Access, Security, and Design - as tools to uncover and address hidden disparities.

Through participatory research and feminist design thinking, the lecture advocates for gender-responsive design to transform urban landscapes into fairer, safer, and more inclusive environments for all.

More information

• For questions, please contact Heidi Sohn.