Wenxi (Hillary) Huang

Urban street environments are often described as not being beneficial for persons who identify as female and other gender minorities.  This thesis responds to the urgent call for further transformation of the public realm through a reimagination of walking environments in the city. It examines gender biases prevalent in realities within the female’s experience in urban settings, and more specifically on the streets, and explores intersectionality as a form of reclamation of the female and other gender minorities’ rights to the urban commons.

The inquiry is divided into two parts - research inquiry and design implementation. The study investigates and identifies effective methods and design elements through case studies of former social movements, pre-existing city models, and urban street design. It examines gender inclusivity through an intersectional lens to generate design guidelines and examples that could improve the efficiency of urban street design and offer more pleasant walking experiences for often marginalized groups. The results help envision design changes on the street level and further explore connectivity within the border of urban commons. 

With a focus on downtown Providence, the goal of this thesis is to increase the effectiveness of the street design and provide a vision for the urban realm that gestures toward inclusivity and equality within the urban commons.