An Exploratory Study of Women’s Use of Public Spaces in Greater Khartoum, Sudan. Case Study of Al-Thawra Hara 72, Omdurman

Abstract

This study explores how women’s use of public spaces in Greater Khartoum
is restrained by societal norms and violence imposed upon them.
Furthermore, women suffer from various forms of harassment that make
their journeys to work a horrendous daily experience. The study is based on
fieldwork conducted in Al-Thawra Hara 72, in which women’s views were
gleaned through a questionnaire, focused group discussions; in addition to
observations and safety audits in the neighborhood. It was found that
women’s use of public spaces is very limited and is restricted to passive
activities conducted in conjunction with their children. They tend to avoid
going out alone or strolling in public spaces to evade violence and
harassment. The paper concludes that public spaces lack facilities that could
make women’s use of them a gratifying experience. Neighborhood planning
and urban design measures are proposed to foster more women’s use of
public spaces.