Gender Dis-Equality and Urban Settlement Dispersion: Indices Comparison

The challenge of “Gender equality” regards different sectors, such as empowerment and working conditions, cultural change, leadership, safety, economic security, health and wellbeing. For this reason, the gender mainstreaming is important for the coordination and integration of all other policies, including urban spatial planning. Currently, it is fundamental to shift toward gender-sensitive territorial planning, which can be more focused on some specific areas of intervention such as: the localization of amenities, mobility and accessibility, and safety. In this context, the work presented aims to indagate the effect of urban dispersion on women’s quality of life. Starting with a discussion related to the characteristics and limitations associated with the use of data from the “Sole 24 Ore” (a national Italian editorial journal), a new women’s quality of life index (IQLw ) was developed. Subsequently, the IQLw index, which includes demographic and economic factors, was compared with the urban dispersion index through a correlation analysis using LISA index (Local Indicator for Spatial Association). Indeed, to be able to reach solutions and act toward the achievement of sustainability development goals and to influence changes in a positive way, it is crucial to know the phenomena and measure their dimensions through parameters and indicators useful for supporting transformational policies.