
An international project led by York University Professor Linda Peake is undertaking a six-year examination of how rapid urbanization is affecting the lives of women living in poverty, and aims to inform public debate about sustainable and democratic urban change.
Prof. Peake, director of York’s City Institute, will lead a team of international researchers and partners on the project, which has been granted $2.5 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. They will work with non-governmental organizations, universities and policy bodies and conduct research in seven cities: Cairo, Cochabamba, Georgetown (Guyana), Ibadan, Mumbai, Ramallah and Shanghai.
In addition to research, the project includes public education, advancing policy, and developing practices that will reduce economic and social insecurities as well as other challenges faced by women, who represent a disproportionate percentage of the urban poor.