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Women and Public Space in Bogotá, Colombia: 'A Field of Battles, of Risk and of Fear' presents some of the results of an investigation aiming to determine in which way the women of Bogotá use urban public spaces. It is based on a fundamental premise: urban regions are not a place of neutrality but rather involve unequal relations between men and women. One of the most significant contributions of this paper is the approach to the scenarios through an intense ethnography. In the Colombian case, this is the first investigation developed on the relationship between women and public space through the realization of an important fieldwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses gender research in urban public space through three different perspectives: the social representations and differentiated uses of space, the division of roles in public and private spaces, and urban planning of public space. The paper gathers and analyses some studies that complement the state of art and literature on women and space giving evidence on how women have been segregated from public space and are victim of gender inequalities. Public space does not exist absolutely nor gender; instead both are socially constructed by social order and reproduced by social practices. Finally, some suggestions for urban planning and research are given in order to respond women's needs in public space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]