Change of Plans

Margrit Eichler is Professor of Sociology at OISE/University of Toronto. She has published widely on issues concerning women, family policy, non-sexist methodology, and reproductive technologies. She has lately been attempting to integrate a feminist perspective with an environmental perspective.

For most people, ‘feminism’ does not immediately evoke thoughts of curb cuts and zoning by-laws. Instead, we tend to think of freedom of reproductive choice, equal pay for work of equal value, and the fight against male violence as examples of ‘women’s issues.’ It seems that few of us, committed feminists included, recognize that our struggles for equality take place within a built environment that has been quite literally man made. As a result, the built environment is often seen as a benign backdrop to the human drama rather than a force which shapes our lives in profound ways.

• Acknowledgements The Contributors Foreword Margrit Eichler Designing Eco-City in North America Margrit Eichler Deconstructing the Man Made City: Feminist Critiques of Planning Thought and Action Sherilyn MacGregor Seeking Shelter: Feminist Home Truths Sylvia Novac At Risk: The Person Behind the Assumptions Planning to Protect Human Health Jeanne Jabanoski What Do You Want to Do? Pave Parks? Urban Planning and the Prevention of Violence Carolyn Whitzman Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability: Planning for Food Self-Reliance Connie Guberman Access Over Excess: Transcending Captivity and Transportation Disadvantage Sue Zielinski Planning Change: Not an End but a Beginning Sherilyn MacGregor References