The Missing Half: Reintegrating Women Into Pakistan’s Public Spaces in Lyari, Karachi

Abstract

Women spatially inhabit a city differently than men, who are the default users in a patriarchal society. They negotiate the city differently, and they also perceive the boundaries of space differently. In the low-income neighbourhood of Lyari, in Karachi, Pakistan, this negotiation is exacerbated through constant fear, moral policing, surveillance and control over women’s bodies. Other than sexual harassment, Shilpa Phadke says that the denial of access to public spaces is the worst possible outcome for women. This thesis aims to design urban infrastructure and public spaces for women in lower-income neighbourhoods, enabling them to take the risk of occupying public spaces. These interventions enable them to create networks, and empowers, educates and mobilizes them.