Discrimination by Design: A Feminist Critique of the Male-Made Environment

Why do women feel that the city is full of dangers? Why is the design of maternity hospitals a torture for pregnant women? Why do homeless people prefer to sleep on the streets rather than move into city-run shelters? What messages and ideologies of social stratification do the designs of skyscrapers, offices, department stores, shopping malls, and public housing reveal? Why is the ideal suburban home for a nuclear family a nightmare for women? What would the design of public buildings look like if they were to promote equitable relations between gender, class and race? The above are just some of the topics discussed in "Discrimination by Design".

This book provides many vivid descriptions and explanations of the various complex social power relationships and processes embedded in spatial design and control, and also develops a new framework for understanding the spatial dimensions of gender, race, and class. This clear and easy-to-read book provides practical guidance for policymakers, architects, planners, urban researchers, and community workers. This book should be read by anyone who cares about how the built environment shapes daily experience, as well as the cultural assumptions and social relationships it embodies.