What are inclusive cities? How can we shape our cities to be more inclusive for individuals and organizations? Too often, we take things for granted when designing cities and don't realize how they actually may not work for many of our citizens. Whether it's public transport, green spaces, or even how we decide what to plow first after a snowstorm - there are perspectives we don't consider in our very male-focused, majority group-biased urban planning processes. 

Today, my guest is Safaa Charafi, an architect, urbanist, and founder of Urban Inclusion. With over 10 years of experience in her field, Safaa shares valuable insights on gender-inclusive urban practices. We talk about why empathy is a pillar in building inclusive cities.  Safaa shares how she ended up in this niche field and how our cities fail us - particularly women and marginalized communities. She defines spatial justice and how it is linked to social justice. You'll also learn about some wonderful concepts you may never heard of, such as feminist cities, the right to the city, and even cities for kids

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Diversity in a decision-making group will bring better solutions to community problems. You can’t know what people need if you don’t talk to a wide group of people. 
• Diversity is not just a trendy topic. Building a community around diversity requires learning new things and unlearning things we thought we knew.
• Empathy is not about pleasing everybody, but about factoring their perspective into the decision-making. 

"Cities need to use empathy and rely more on listening to each other,  reflecting the needs and aspirations of their inhabitants. Cities are made for people, but also by people and that's something we tend to forget." —  Safaa Charafi

Episode References: 

• The Empathy Edge podcast: James Ehrlich: The Neighborhood Of The Future Is Here
• Feminist City: Reclaiming Space in a Man-Made World by Leslie Kern

From Our Partner:

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About Safaa Charafi: Architect Urbanist, Founder of Urban Inclusion

Safaa Charafi is an architect and urbanist and the founder of Urban Inclusion, a consulting firm at the intersection of gender, diversity, and urban development. With a strong academic background and practical qualifications, she brings over 10 years of experience to her field. Safaa's expertise lies in social research and urban development, with a special focus on diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality. Currently, she serves as a policy officer for UNOPS, she is also a fellow of Allianz Foundation, Belgium’s 40 under 40, entrepreneur, lecturer, and speaker, sharing valuable insights on gender-inclusive urban practices.

Connect with Safaa Charafi 

Urban Inclusion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaa-charafi/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaa-charafi/

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