Planning with care: Violence prevention policy at the intersection of invisibilities

Abstract

Violence against women has long occupied public/private debates in planning scholarship. Ignoring violence in private space makes women invisible, which along with spatial disadvantage, can marginalise them further. Care ethics is increasingly influencing global political action through a capabilities approach, and can potentially address this invisibility through its translation to social or housing policy. In this article, we develop a care ethics framework, and apply it to two planning case studies using a gendered violence prevention lens: the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the State of Victoria's Homes for Victorians housing strategy. Using a three-fold analysis based on problem framing, implementation and impact, we show that while both streams represent a conceptual advance, they lack a nuanced understanding of women's needs and ability for self-determination. The absence of consideration of intimate partner or structural violence, along with an inadequate conceptualisation of geographic access and the impact of intersectional barriers, leads to inadequate service provision and fails to address fundamental inequalities created by market-based responses. We conclude by suggesting further directions for integrating care ethics in the framing, implementation and monitoring of planning policy.