Women's specific needs and urban planning practices in the Middle East case of Palestine

Abstract

This chapter is based on a research work about how women’s specific needs, particularly those related to culture, are considered in design of cities and urban planning practices in the Middle Eastern cities, where culture plays a critical role in driving women behaviors and influences their participation in the community life. Palestine, as being a middle-eastern country, will be presented as a case study to provide a perspective on how the cultural needs of women in general, and women's privacy need in particular, are accommodated in a local context that can be generalized to many other MENA region countries. Observations and interviews are used as two main methods for data collections. The outcome of this study emphasizes the importance of including women's needs, particularly privacy, in the curriculum of architecture and urban planning. This will enhance the knowledge about how to design and develop urban environments that support women’s specific needs, so that women can use these cities comfortably and take part in urban and public life.