Cities are truly inclusive only when every woman feels safe, heard, and empowered within them. Yet across India, urban spaces continue to overlook women’s needs and voices in how cities are planned, governed, and experienced.

Cities for Women, Women for Cities: Selected Success Stories from India and Around the Globe examines how gender-responsive urban governance can transform this reality. The report maps the current landscape of women’s participation in India’s cities — from constitutional reservations in urban local governments to the persistent gap between representation and real decision-making power.

Drawing on Janaagraha’s City-Systems framework, the report presents 32 success stories from India and across the world, organised under two complementary lenses: Cities for Women, which examines how urban policies, infrastructure, and services can be redesigned to respond to women’s needs; and Women for Cities, which highlights initiatives that strengthen women’s leadership and participation in urban governance. From Mumbai’s gender budgeting and Chennai’s Gender and Policy Lab to Bogotá’s Care Blocks and Barcelona’s Feminist Municipalism, these stories illustrate what becomes possible when governance is rooted in care, inclusion, and community.

The analysis draws from a review of 109 gender-related policies and programmes, municipal laws across 10 Indian cities, and consultations with gender experts. It identifies seven key ingredients for building women-centric cities, offering practical blueprints that Indian cities can adapt and scale.

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