Inclusion in smart cities
There is a complex network of dimensions that make a smart city “intelligent”: smart environment, smart mobility, and smart economy providing sustainable, accessible, and effective solutions that ease citizens’ lives. Equally important is the human aspect – creating a city that fosters inclusion, embraces diversity, and ensures that all groups can engage in and shape their cities.
This issue is particularly relevant for the LGBT+ community, which is often left behind in urban development. Here, we discuss it with representatives of two organisations working on LGBT+ community inclusion at national and international levels: Anastasia Danilova, Executive Director of GENDERDOC-M Information Centre, and Manuel Rosas Vázquez, Coordinator of the Rainbow Cities Network.
Manuel Rosas Vázquez is the Coordinator at Rainbow Cities Network. In this capacity, he works with the Board to set the strategy and direction of the network, manages relationships with members and other international bodies, and represents the network on platforms around the world. He specialises in international relations and LGBT+ policy strategy, and holds a master’s in Public Policy. Anastasia Danilova is the Executive Director of GENDERDOC-M Information Centre, based in Chisinau, Moldova. Before becoming Executive Director in April 2010, she coordinated GENDERDOC-M’s Women’s Programme and volunteered on the publication of a magazine for lesbians, Theme. She has shared her personal story and motivated other community members to stand up for their rights in Moldova’s homophobic society. Anastasia is one of few openly LGBT+ people in Moldova who represents GENDERDOC-M at both national and international levels, speaks publicly on LGBT+ issues, and organises public activities including Pride marches.
Tell us about your organisations. What do you do?
Anastasia Danilova: GENDERDOC-M Information Centre is one of the only NGOs actively promoting LGBT+ rights in Moldova. We have carried out more than fifty projects at different levels, raising public awareness about sexual orientation and gender identity, and lobbying state institutions and international organisations on LGBT+ interests and rights. Our Centre also works to prevent HIV/AIDS and STIs, promotes healthy lifestyles, and offers psychological and legal assistance to the community. We run support groups – for transgender people, seropositive gay people, older gay people, and relatives of LGBT+ community members – and conduct training with professional groups such as psychologists, sociologists, journalists, police, and doctors.
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: I would start by acknowledging that humanity is diverse, complex, and colourful – our identity, culture, and expressions are intricately entwined into our being. This diversity should be a cause for pride and love, not a reason to hide or feel afraid. Yet LGBT+ people around the world still face stigma, discrimination, exclusion, and in extreme cases violence. Rainbow Cities Network and its 33 member cities work to guarantee sexual rights through innovative public policies that encourage LGBT+ individuals to embrace their sexual identity and exercise control over their own bodies. The network has existed since 2012, initially as an informal network subsidised by the Dutch Government. When that subsidy ended in 2018, members chose to sustain the network’s work, and in July 2019 RCN was registered in Amsterdam as a non-profit organisation.
Manuel, how can a city become a member of the network? And what opportunities does membership open up?
Boroughs, counties, and cities of all sizes that have an active LGBT+ (inclusive) policy within the local administration can apply to join. Under our by-laws, interested cities must submit an application comprising a signed Memorandum of Understanding and two so-called one-pagers – one describing the city’s LGBT+ policy, and one outlining three best practices from the year of application. Once all members have approved the application, the applicant city pays the annual fee. The opportunities are wide-ranging: collaboration among members, joint events and activities, and contributions to the organisation’s annual best practices publication.
Why is LGBT+ inclusion crucial for a city’s development and resilience?
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: LGBT+ citizens are an integral part of every society. Modern, successful cities cannot be conceived without the full inclusion of LGBT+ individuals. Evidence shows that inclusive cities attract talented people – and some of those people will choose to move to cities that openly welcome members of the LGBT+ community. This makes cities more competitive. The organisation Open for Business recently published a study ranking cities by global competitiveness, and I am pleased to share that nine of those cities belong to our network: Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Mexico City, and São Paulo.
Anastasia Danilova: The participation of all citizens in developing a city’s infrastructure matters, because diversity leads to decisions that work for all residents and helps build a space where everyone feels safe and included.
How can urban planning work toward making cities safer and more inclusive for people discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality?
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: Around the world, and in Europe, LGBT+ individuals make up a significant share of those living in poverty. Transgender women and gay men still account for the highest number of community members living with HIV, which can lead to severe complications from COVID-19. Local governments need to address this through an intersectional approach – and urban planning plays an important role in preventing the isolation of our community when thinking about how cities are built.
Anastasia, your organisation operates at a national level. What are the key challenges you face in your advocacy and community work?
LGBT+ communities in Moldova face a number of barriers. There is widespread social intolerance and high levels of homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia, which means that many LGBT+ people – particularly those from rural areas – fear disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity, and hesitate to report abuse to the police or pursue legal action. Crimes against LGBT+ individuals are not recognised as hate crimes. We also contend with hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric from local politicians, churches, and public figures. On top of that, there is no clear legal definition of gender at state level.
One of the most troubling LGBT+ related issues in our region – Central and Eastern Europe – is police harassment. What role can cooperation between law enforcement agencies and LGBT+ communities play in improving safety in public spaces and tackling hate crime and discrimination?
Anastasia Danilova: Hate crimes against LGBT+ individuals are not recognised as such – police classify them as hooliganism, theft, or assault. There are also cases where officers extort money from gay people at their gatherings in exchange for not disclosing their sexual orientation. In addition, there are known cases where police refuse to file reports when the victims are LGBT+, and where officers treat LGBT+ individuals with insults and degrading treatment. When such cases come to our attention, we file a complaint with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At the same time, because the police are aware of our organisation, the attitude towards LGBT+ individuals who contact them tends to change as soon as GENDERDOC-M is mentioned or one of our staff steps in to assist. Every year, police also protect participants at public LGBT+ events, allow them to proceed without obstruction, and treat organisers with respect.
Who are the main actors in making cities more open and welcoming to people of diverse sexualities?
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: This question has many answers, depending on whom you ask. But what is undeniable is the central role of local administration in fully recognising their LGBT+ population and preventing discrimination in public spaces.
What is your experience of cooperation with public authorities? Do you think it is important to have a state-level action plan on LGBT+ issues?
Anastasia Danilova: Cooperation with public authorities clearly matters, since NGOs cannot drive fundamental change on their own – especially when it comes to informing the public and bringing LGBT+ issues into education. Unfortunately, in our context, political commitment is lacking; many politicians benefit from using LGBT+ issues as a manipulative tool in public discourse to win votes. Our organisation does have an established partnership with the Ministry of Health on health and HIV prevention. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is also open to some cooperation – for example, on protecting LGBT+ marches and including police in our training programmes on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). However, police education remains neither widespread nor centralised, and the institution remains largely homophobic and transphobic. Some of its members are themselves a source of discrimination and blackmail.
What are the first steps city administrations and policy-makers can and should take to support equality for LGBT+ people?
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: This too is a complex question, but I would say that cities are eager to move forward in fully recognising and preventing discrimination against LGBT+ communities. The starting point is political will – followed by training on LGBT+ issues for first-response officials such as police, fire-fighters, and healthcare personnel – and enacting policies within local administrations that develop programmes and foster collaboration with local LGBT+ groups.
What strategies can NGOs and city councils follow to promote LGBT+ inclusion in their communities?
Anastasia Danilova: It is truly important to have allies within municipal councils who can shift attitudes from the inside and bring different groups – including LGBT+ individuals – into decision-making. In my view, this is one of the most effective strategies available right now, because in Moldova, as in many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the process is still at an early stage.
What role do technologies play in supporting diversity and fostering LGBT+ inclusion?
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: New technologies are an ally to our community – particularly digital tools, which allow community members to express their needs with complete anonymity. In some cases, that anonymity is vital, since some members of our community still need to keep their identity hidden. There are many examples across Europe where online surveys have helped local, regional, and international organisations map the challenges LGBT+ individuals face in everyday life. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, for instance, published the results of the largest LGBT+ survey ever conducted in Europe, and the findings suggest little progress in recent years. Many same-sex couples report still being afraid to hold their partner’s hand in public; 40 per cent of respondents have experienced harassment; and discrimination in public spaces such as schools, cafés, and nightclubs remains high. The transgender community experiences the most severe discrimination, particularly around identification documents and access to public services.
What is your vision for LGBT+ inclusion in cities of Central and Eastern Europe? What are the main challenges and opportunities you see?
Anastasia Danilova: I will reflect on these questions through our experience in Moldova. The main challenge right now is that meaningful cooperation with municipal councils is not yet possible, given their high levels of homophobia and transphobia – even the rainbow symbol provokes a hostile reaction. One municipal councillor from the Socialist Party called for a ban on rainbows in the city, calling them a threat. There are no LGBT+ venues – bars, clubs, cafés – in the capital, let alone elsewhere in the country. All attempts to open such spaces have failed because they were not viable. For now, all we can do is rent spaces for private LGBT+ events. Other challenges I have already mentioned: the lack of openly LGBT+ citizens, and their exclusion from urban spaces. In terms of opportunities, one of the most promising is working with individual municipal councillors who are strong allies of the LGBT+ community, or who are part of it themselves. As I said, this is still only an early phase. Equally, building solidarity and running joint activities on issues that affect everyone – environment, accessibility, mobility, waste management – is one way to foster a positive attitude towards LGBT+ people, who are not only members of the LGBT+ community but also engaged and responsible citizens.
Manuel Rosas Vázquez: Countries and cities in Central and Eastern Europe must recognise, protect, and combat discrimination against LGBT+ communities – not only because it is the right thing to do, but because they have a moral responsibility to uphold and protect the human rights of all their citizens. The main challenge is educating citizens who oppose recognising the basic rights of LGBT+ individuals, and providing them with accurate information. I believe that citizens in Central and Eastern Europe are willing to learn and to work with the rest of Europe in protecting LGBT+ rights. Ljubljana has been a founding member of our network, and more recently Kotor in Montenegro joined us – a clear sign that more people in the region want social justice and equal rights for everyone.
This article was initially published by Cooperation and Development Network. You can read the full publication at https://www.cdnee.org/publications