Bridging the urban planning gender gap – in search of policy coherence between Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 11

Urban planning suffers from a historic gender gap in theory, policy and practice. While some research has focused on how urban planning fails to respond to women’s needs and perspectives, the concept of an ‘urban planning gender gap’ remains undertheorized and underrepresented in the realm of practical applications. Adopting a systems critical analysis perspective, the aim of this paper is to investigate to what extent do the UN Sustainable Development Goals support or hinder the capabilities of women to participate equally and meaningfully in urban planning. To do so, this article first provides an overview of existing frameworks for the conceptualisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) interdependencies followed by a systematic investigation of the interlinkages between SDG 5 Gender Equality and SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities. Secondly, it questions why at the target level SDG 11 positions women amongst the vulnerable segments of society requiring protection alongside children, older persons and persons with disabilities. It concludes by highlighting that not only are urban spaces gendered, but so are urban policies and international accords as well. Based on these findings, the article proposes new narratives highlighting the interdependencies between women and cities, which if adopted, could bridge the historic urban planning gender gap.