India, Oct. 16 -- There are many arguments that can be made against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's recent decision to designate women-only parks in the city. Notwithstanding a lukewarm response to a previous attempt - the "pink" park near Ramlila Maidan has fallen into disrepair - there is also the matter of an inadequate number of security guards, CCTV cameras, and gardeners. Most MCD parks lie in residential areas, making this directive further unfeasible. The MCD must also answer basic questions on safety measures that it will undertake in mixed-gender parks and, more significantly, the basis of its claim that segregation of spaces results in safety. Urban planners would, in fact, draw our attention to how the larger vision of any society is to move from exclusion to inclusion of citizens, irrespective of their class, caste, gender or sexuality. And while gendered spaces such as women-only train compartments or girls' schools are necessary to ensure women's access to mobility and education, segregation of public spaces requires a more nuanced approach. By pinning the decision on safety, we validate the idea that social interaction between genders is the core issue, leading to the assumption that safety needs eliminating the opportunity for this. Besides the misogyny inherent in this viewpoint, there's also a blindspot: Everyone - and not just women - deserves to feel safe in the city, especially in public spaces. Infrastructure is part of the solution. While perpetrators of violence operate with impunity regardless of the space, unlit streets and park-spots, inadequate and intemperate policing, etc, make it harder for survivors to get justice. Safety does not come from the perception of its existence. It comes from swift reprisal for crimes, equitable access to justice, and a recognition that we all constitute the body public....