I don't get it. Everything "designed for women" tends to be a lot more ergonomic, a lot more pleasant, and a lot more aesthetically pleasing than things not "designed for women." It's almost as if the design world goes "well, any lunkhead will buy this because it's black and silver but if we want women to buy it, it actually has to be comfortable to use." Everything in this article sounds exceedingly pleasant, penis or no penis. What's not to like?"Gender can be an emotional issue," Bauer adds. "When you tell people that up until now they haven’t taken the women’s perspective into account they feel attacked. We still have people asking, ‘Is this really necessary?'"
The way I understand it is that women need a higher standard of urban design to feel safe / comfortable enough to use a certain space. Urban space is often designed as a utility rather than something to be enjoyed, and I think that this is having a larger negative effect on women than on men. While the improvements are beneficial to all, they are more beneficial for women.
I think this whole article could have been phrased better if the premise was "How to Create a City for Everyone to Feel Safe Through Better Design Instead of the Installation of a Police State". I suppose that title doesn't roll off the tongue as well.