Investigating and evaluating the accessibility of urban public spaces for women (Case study: historical context “Choub Masjed neighborhood”, middle “Golestan neighborhood”, and new “Farhangian neighborhood” of Semnan city)

The need to spend time in public spaces is essential for all citizens, regardless of gender, age, income level, job, etc. The presence of women in the urban space has not only physical and psychological benefits for them but also can provide society with their supporting role. The present research is aimed at evaluating and comparing the status of the accessibility of urban public spaces for women. The case study of the research is the city of Semnan, which consists of three districts, and one neighborhood in each district will be investigated.

The approach used in the research is of descriptive-analytical type, and statistical methods and multiple linear regression have been used in five steps to evaluate the accessibility of urban space in these three neighborhoods.

The results of the research show that the “Farhangian” neighborhood in the third district has the best situation in terms of the accessibility of urban space for women. “Choub Masjid” and “Golestan” neighborhoods are the next priorities.

Among the 9 investigated indicators, the component of security in all neighborhoods is the most important indicator of the presence of women in the urban space. Following this index, social factors, environmental pollution, individual factors, access to transportation means, streets, and urban furniture are placed in the next hierarchy in the “Choub Masjed” neighborhood. In the “Golestan” neighborhood, accessibility index and urban furniture are mentioned as the most important factors behind security. In the “Farhangian” neighborhood, after the security component, the access index has created the most significant relationship with the accessibility of the urban space for women.