Providing Respite for Women in Kochi

'A Peaceful moment: Creating respite for women in Kochi' explores complex themes of privacy and invitation, creating an emergency support centre for women experiencing violence. My Urban strategy proposal focuses on how urban environments can impact women's perceptions of safety and violence against Women.

Public spaces that produce opportunities for acts of sexual violence create a discriminatory urban realm. Creating a sense of ‘dis-belonging’ perpetuating gender inequality” within public safe (Battacharyya, 2016). Everyone deserves to live free from acts of sexual violence, however, for 72-99% of women in India, this is not the case.

To understand the specific landscape and culture of Kochi. Liveable Urbanism began research by mapping the city in QGIS, gathering data through Mappilary, Google maps, and drone scans. My research explored the impacts of Gender diversity, land use, building height, and building closing times on women's safety in Ernakulum. I analysed this data alongside gender diversity studies and interviews conducted on-site.

To push my project to be a catalyst for social change, I created the Safe Street Initiative. Hosted on a live website hosting my research, urban strategy, and design competition brief, the initiative aims to increase awareness of the urban realm's impact on women's safety. The website also hosts surveys I built in Survey 123, collecting community-driven data that feeds straight into QGIS, mapping where women reported feeling unsafe.

Please follow the link for more information about this project, and to explore my research: https://safestreetinitiati.wixsite.com/safestreetskochi