There is a moment when the day turns into night, and the city feels like it shifts. Nothing actually changes, but everything feels different. Streets seem quieter. Movements feel more noticeable. I have become more aware of myself in ways I was not just a few hours earlier.
This feeling is hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. It’s not panic, and it’s not always fear. It’s more like alertness, something that switches on automatically. For girls, this feeling becomes familiar very early on.
One evening, my mom and I were coming back home together after being out later than usual. It wasn’t very late, but it was dark. As we walked, my phone kept lighting up. My abbu called, then my grandparents. They kept asking where we were and if we had reached. I know it came from care, not control, but it still stayed with me. I realised how normal it is for girls to be constantly checked on once it gets dark, even when they’re not alone.
This kind of worry doesn’t exist in isolation. Stories of harassment, assault, and rape cases are becoming more common in Pakistan, and even if we don’t experience these things directly, we grow up hearing about them. They slowly shape how we move, where we go, and how long we stay out. Being careful stops feeling like advice and starts feeling like a rule.
Women After Dark by Nourhan Bassam is a book that captures the unspoken nighttime rules women are taught to follow—making visible what is usually left unsaid. Don’t stay out too late. Don’t walk alone. Don’t take empty streets. Be alert at all times. Many of these rules are internalised. No one has to say them out loud anymore. We just know.
What I’ve started noticing, especially because I want to pursue architecture and urban design, is how much the built environment contributes to this feeling.
In Pakistan, narrow galis are a clear example. During the day, they feel familiar and full of life. At night, they feel completely different. The streets are tight, the lighting is weak or missing, and you can’t see very far ahead. Even if nothing is happening, the space itself makes you feel uneasy. You walk faster without realising it.
Backstreets and service roads near markets feel similar. In the daytime, they are busy and normal. At night, when shops close and people leave, they become silent and poorly lit. There’s no sense of shared space, just the feeling that you don’t belong there for too long.
Then some places feel safer by comparison. Model Town, where I live, feels noticeably different after dark. The streets are wider, the blocks are more open, and there is usually enough lighting to see what’s around you. There is still some movement, whether it’s cars passing by or people out for short walks. Areas like MM Alam Road and parts of DHA feel similar in that sense. These spaces don’t remove fear completely, but they reduce it. You feel less invisible.
Public spaces like Racecourse Park also show how design matters. Clear paths, proper lighting, and visible security make the space feel intentional. You can see where you’re going and who’s around you, which immediately lowers your guard.
Looking at these places side by side makes something clear to me. Fear is not just about night. It’s about how spaces are designed.
As someone who hopes to become an urban architect, I think cities play a huge role in shaping behavior and mindset. If we design cities assuming women won’t be out after dark, then that fear will continue to exist. But if we design cities that are brighter, more open, and more inclusive, we start changing how safe women feel.
Even something as simple as better lighting in galis and secondary streets could make a difference. Lighting that removes dark corners and blind spots, that makes people feel visible rather than exposed. Design can’t solve everything, because this is also a cultural issue, but it can support change instead of working against it.
I don’t want a city where women disappear once the sun sets. I want a city where every woman, of every age, feels safe enough to exist without constantly looking over her shoulder. Where being out at night doesn’t feel like a risk, but just another part of life. And I believe thoughtful design is one way we can begin to move towards that.