Cities, often feminized in name and narrative, embody not just physical structures but symbolic spaces of care, memory, and identity. Drawing from Barcelona amb nom de dona, Vivas i Elias (2021) contemplates how urban policies can emulate the nurturing role of mothers, arguing that urban environments should protect, educate, and support their inhabitants with the same inclusive and empathetic logic. The marginalization of women in urban memory—evident in place names and spatial representations—is interpreted as a form of structural violence that must be actively redressed through toponymic justice and gender-conscious planning. The essay positions the city as a potential maternal space, one capable of embracing its citizens through socially responsive infrastructures and symbolic recognition of historically silenced voices. By framing urban planning through maternal ethics, the text promotes a reimagination of urban governance rooted in values of equity and affection rather than control and exclusion. This vision demands cities that are not only smart or sustainable but also caring and inclusive, where diversity is not tolerated but celebrated, and where public spaces are reshaped to reflect the multiplicity of those who inhabit them. The city, thus, becomes a living archive of collective care and recognition, reflecting the interplay between gender, space, and social justice).
Vivas i Elias, P. (2021). La ciutat: mare nostra. URBS. Revista de Estudios Urbanos y Ciencias Sociales, 11(1).
