“I have been taking public transport — the bus and the local train — while working from various parts of the city to reach my home in Perungudi, and I have always felt safe. I have been bold,” said Vijiya, a 56-year-old worker with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), at the photography exhibition — ‘Aval Idam’ by the civic body’s Gender and Policy Lab on Friday.
She said women in Chennai had become more independent and free compared to the past years and the city’s infrastructure had been improved to meet their needs.
At the event organised by the GCC with the Chennai Photo Biennale and The Kala Collective, at the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS Park, Chennai Mayor R. Priya released a design guide — ‘Inclusive Design Manual’ — for gender-inclusive and accessible urban infrastructure.
The exhibition will go on till July 15.
The guide covers general design policies for 12 types of public infrastructures such as parks, beaches, streets, public spaces, open and closed markets, e-service centres, subways, foot overbridges, and spaces under flyovers. According to the GCC, inputs were collected from experts and a range of user groups, including people of different genders, ages and abilities, before finalising the guide.
