It’s time for feminist cities.

Women in Urbanism Canada (WiUC) is a women-led non-profit organization working to transform Canadian cities into more equitable, enjoyable, and sustainable places for everyone.

Whether it be walking down the street, catching a bus, sitting in a park, pushing a stroller, or asking a stranger for help—women experience cities differently than men.

These unique experiences have long gone unconsidered and unaddressed, perpetuating inequities through our built environments.

Canadian cities have not been built for everyone. We’re working to change that.

It’s time for feminist cities.

What We Do

Map indicating a boundary with a red dashed line, showing a coastline on the right side, and street layout with parks and water bodies in the city area.

We work to raise awareness, exchange knowledge, and mobilize a national network to advance equitable, inclusive, and sustainable cities for all. Our current and past work involves:

  • Raising awareness of gender equity in cities by writing articles, hosting events and webinars, conducting research, developing policy briefs, and regularly posting on our social media channels.

  • Exchanging knowledge through curated content including tools, best practices, and case studies, shared via our online resource library and monthly newsletters.

  • Mobilizing a national network by connecting and amplifying gender-marginalized voices through our membership, partner collaborations, and advocacy work.

A mother is sitting and holding her child facing her outside a glass building with a bright art installation behind them.

Our Impact

Each year we track our impact through our annual reports. If you want to learn more about how we've advanced our mission, check out our reports:

Illustration of a yellow brick two-story house with white trim, multiple windows with shutters, a front door with a small window, and plants on the porch. A person with curly hair, backpack, white shirt, yellow shorts, and sneakers is walking in front.
Two people walking hand in hand with a bicycle on a paved pathway in a park with green grass and trees, other park visitors, and distant city buildings in the background.

Our Background

The idea for WiUC emerged in late 2018, inspired by the book “Change of Plans: Towards a Non-Sexist Sustainable City” and the New Zealand-based non-profit, Women in Urbanism Aotearoa.

This inspiration led to the question: “why don’t we have something like this in Canada?”. In hopes of filling that gap, the organization was publicly launched in 2022, and has been growing ever since.

Our Vision

Canadian cities shaped by the lived realities of all gender-marginalized people, leading to inclusive communities for all.

Our Mission

To raise the collective impact of women, girls, and gender-diverse people by advancing intersectional feminist design principles through raising awareness, exchanging knowledge, and mobilizing a national network.

A city sidewalk scene featuring a parked city bus, two women talking with a stroller, and a brick building with large windows. The street has a pedestrian crosswalk and trees nearby.

Values

  • We believe cities must be built with a commitment to intersectionality in order to advance equity for everyone. Equitable cities honour justice, diversity, Indigenization, inclusion, and accessibility, ensuring that spaces are reflective of diverse lived experiences.

  • We believe cities should spark joy and create a sense of belonging. Enjoyable cities prioritize health, happiness, beauty, and safety, so that everyone can feel empowered to form meaningful relationships, communities, and connections.

  • We believe a livable future depends on cities that grow sustainably, which requires collective action for climate mitigation, adaptation, emergency preparedness, and resilience. Sustainable development must care for the environment, while also meeting people’s health, social, and economic needs.

Guiding Principles

  • Caring for every woman with empathy and respect for their lived experiences.

  • Amplifying the voices, stories, and knowledge of women by sharing resources to make information more accessible.

  • Collaborating with individuals and organizations in the design and implementation of collective efforts towards meaningful urban change.

  • Connecting women to networks and opportunities to mobilize a collective voice to improve communities.

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Meet Our Staff

The organization is powered by a dedicated team of full- and part-time staff members from across the country.

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  • Program Manager
    Kitchener, ON
    shama @ womeninurbanism.ca

    Shama is a daydreamer, researcher, and lifelong lover of movement, whether on a basketball court, across borders, or through collective struggle. Born and raised in Canada to Eritrean parents, she identifies as part of the African diaspora, carrying her heart toward the continent even while navigating life here.

    Her interests have always been rooted in community mobilizing, grassroots work, and storytelling. One of her proudest commitments has been co-founding Project UP, an initiative supporting Black Muslim girls and women in her local area.

    Through this work, Shama’s interests have increasingly turned toward cities and the built environment. Working alongside marginalized communities has shown her how profoundly urban spaces—streets, housing, transit, and public places—shape daily life, and how urgent it is to create neighborhoods that reflect people’s real needs, desires, and visions for belonging. She brings a critical lens grounded in Black feminist and decolonial thought, asking how design and planning can be reimagined to center equity, care, and collective liberation.

    Shama holds an Honours degree in Health Studies and Political Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Western University. Across academic, community, and political spaces, she remains committed to working toward liberatory cities.

  • Director at Large
    Vancouver, BC

    Natalie is an urban planner with experience across the Lower Mainland and the UK, focused on community-centred planning, placemaking, and inclusive urban design. Her approach to planning is grounded in equity, relationship-building, and meaningful participation. She is particularly interested in how planning processes can better reflect diverse voices and lived experiences, and how cities can be shaped to support more inclusive, accessible, and vibrant communities. She is passionate about supporting initiatives that challenge systemic barriers, foster dialogue, and reimagine cities through an intersectional lens.

    She holds a MSc in Building and Urban Design in Development from University College London and a BES in Planning from the University of Waterloo. Her academic work explored critical urban theory, social equity, and participatory design. She currently works in community planning at the City of Port Coquitlam, contributing to policy development and Official Community Plan updates. Previously, she worked at Croydon Council in London, England, where she shaped development proposals and played a key role in initiatives such as the Croydon Urban Room and Design Review Panel, and the Musqueam Indian Band, which strengthened her commitment to community-led planning and reconciliation.

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  • Project Coordinator
    Ottawa, ON
    firdous @ womeninurbanism.ca

    Firdous is an urban researcher and artist who draws from her diverse lived experiences as a woman of colour who was raised in the United Arab Emirates, did her undergrad in India, and migrated to Canada in 2018. 

    In the past 6 years, she has actively pursued the question of how the built environment reflects prevalent societal norms that impact one’s body image and identity. More specifically, as a PhD candidate in Architecture at the University of Montreal, she is studying the impact of the built environment of public transit spaces on women’s safety and sense of belonging.

    She strongly believes in the power of applying a feminist intersectional lens to complex systemic issues that continue to disproportionately impact women and gender-diverse people in cities. Her research and practice often leverages a multi-disciplinary approach at the intersection of art, design, architecture, journalism, gender studies, geography, and more.

    She holds a Master’s degree in Design from Concordia University and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC), India.

Want to join our team?

Visit our Get Involved page for staff openings.

Meet Our Board

The organization is governed by a committed team of volunteer Officers and Directors with a wide-range of expertise.

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  • Co-Founder & Chair
    Edmonton, AB

    Nicole holds an Hons. B.A. in Philosophy and Communications from McMaster University and an M.Sc. in Sustainability Science, Policy, and Society from Maastricht University. She works as the Sustainable Mobility Director at national environmental not-for-profit, Green Communities Canada, leading initiatives related to School Travel Planning, School Streets, and School Bus Electrification. 

    Nicole brings her interest and expertise to the topics of feminism, mobility, and sustainability. Learn more about Nicole on LinkedIn.

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  • Secretary
    Toronto, ON

    Sonali is an urban design professional committed to promoting sustainable and resilient city building, with a focus on creating inclusive communities, ecology, and infrastructure. She holds a Master's degree in Urban Design from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor's in Architecture from Mumbai University. Currently, she works with Transportation Services in the City of Toronto in their Major Projects Unit, where she contributes to advancing strategic priorities for capital projects across the city. 

    Prior to moving to Canada, Sonali lived and worked in India, and has gained professional experience across India, the United States and France. Drawing on her interdisciplinary background, she brings expertise across city planning, urban design, transportation, landscape, and architecture. Her diverse lived and professional experiences inform her commitment to creating and advocating for accessible and inclusive urban spaces that reflect intersectionality in decision-making, policies, design and implementation.

  • Director at Large
    Edmonton, AB

    Rajah Maggay is a former small business owner, nonprofit co-founder, dedicated volunteer, and podcast host, with over a decade of service in Edmonton, Alberta. She has worked closely with communities to advocate for affordability, better public transit, equitable communities, and climate action—fighting for policies that make life better for everyone.

    Rajah's journey into civic engagement started with the City of Edmonton Youth Council, drawn to mental health advocacy and youth engagement. She saw how the systemic issues that we see on large scales manifest locally and how local change takes compassionate, strong local leaders.

    She currently works as a Community Outreach Coordinator in the Office of Mayor Andrew Knack and recently ran her own campaign for city council during the last municipal election. This deepened her love for her community, built momentum on people-centred solutions, and brought together voices not typically represented within local government. Rajah is incredibly excited to join the Women in Urbanism Board to continue advocating for vibrant communities and where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

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  • Treasurer
    Toronto, ON

    Vinaya is an Urban Designer with over 6 years of experience in Architecture and Urban Design with extensive work in public realm design, waterfront development, streetscape design, policy plans, architecture driven urban design, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Canada and in India.

    Vinaya has a profound belief in the transformative power of design in enhancing the quality of life for all individuals. As an urban designer with a strong foundation in architecture, Vinaya is dedicated to creating vibrant and inclusive urban spaces that prioritize equity and accessibility.

  • Director at Large
    Halifax, NS

    Ally became interested in learning more about urbanism and active transportation when she accepted a position with Bicycle Nova Scotia in 2021. It was here that she began to work with mothers and children to deepen their levels of comfort with cycling, as research shows that when a mother is comfortable cycling, her children are more likely to cycle as well. 

    Ally is inspired by the work of Chris and Melissa Bruntlett, urban mobility advocates who focus on the benefits of sustainable transport to create happier, healthier, more human-scale cities. 

    Ally holds a MEd in Sustainability, Creativity, and Innovation from Cape Breton University, and BA from The University of King's College in Social Anthropology and Political Science, and is a Doula- which has influenced her work with mothers and children at Bicycle Nova Scotia. Ally is currently completing the RBC Sustainable Leadership certificate from Dalhousie University which focuses on generative listening as a form of collaboration. By asking, "how?" we are able to better understand, "why?" Ally lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is passionate about active transportation development in Atlantic Canada.

A woman standing next to a large, metallic, curved object on the sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood lined with trees and parked cars under a clear blue sky.

  • Director at Large
    Toronto, ON

    Doolin’s academic and professional endeavours have focused on the intersection between active transportation and age-friendly cities. 

    Doolin completed her undergraduate studies at UofT, and attended Dalhousie University and the University of Amsterdam to gain her Master’s Degree in Urban Planning. 

    She has developed her career by gaining experience in Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Most recently, Doolin was employed as the Principal Sustainable Transportation Planner at  Hackney Council in London England, where she delivered projects such as Hackney’s trailblazing School Streets programme and the UK’s first public cargo-bike share service. She now works at the City of Toronto in the Transportation Division’s Policy and Innovation Unit. 

    Doolin believes that understanding and incorporating  how women experience, and are impacted by, the urban environment is essential for good city-building now and in the future.

  • Director at Large
    Toronto, ON

    Aisha is a youth advocate who uses storytelling and art to elevate young people’s voices in civic and community spaces. Through art, she translates lived experiences into stories that encourage youth participation, equity, and inclusion, particularly for young women. She is a member of the Canadian Centre for Cultural Diplomacy and the King’s Trust Youth Council, and has represented youth as a delegate at international forums, including Voice for Rights International in Vancouver and the Global Business Symposium. Her work focuses on bridging youth perspectives with decision-makers and fostering cross-cultural dialogue.

    Aisha has completed governance and leadership training with Rise on Boards and is now joining Women in Urbanism to explore ways to contribute to inclusive, youth-informed city-building. She is committed to empowering young people, amplifying their voices, and using creative expression to drive social impact.

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  • Director at Large
    Ottawa, ON

    Sahara is an Urban Designer by profession but likes to call herself a Placemaker. With over 8 years of experience in Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planning across Nepal, United States and Canada, she brings a global perspective in designing  inclusive and sustainable places for all. She is passionate about public space design and creating pedestrian friendly spaces that welcomes everyone.

Want to join our board?

Visit our Get Involved page for board openings.