Edition 55: July 2026

What’s New

💻 Public spaces designed for women and girls are good for all—and the planet. Learn about the benefits of designing public spaces with the specific needs of women and girls in mind, from day-to-day safety for communities to vital resilience against the climate crisis. Read the blog.

💻 Discovering Toronto through a newcomer’s lens: art, urbanism, and connection. Through photography and storytelling, WiUC board member Aisha Sidiqi discovers the city beyond its architecture, seeing a city shaped by people, cultures, and everyday interactions. Read the blog.

💻 Cities are managing the visible signs of social failure with homelessness. Melanie Fournier calls attention to the burden placed solely on Canadian Cities in managing crises like homelessness, which masks systemic failures in provincial and federal housing, healthcare, and income policies. Read the blog.

💻 The value of street furniture in Toronto.  Jessie Ye from Toronto argues that the city’s expiring street furniture contract is a rare opportunity to build more accessible, inclusive, and climate-resilient public spaces. Read the article.

📄 How walkability is affected by daytime street harassment. New research reveals how gender-based street harassment impacts walkability and calls for street design that considers safety and belonging. Read the article. 

📄 Bike share activity during world cup match days. Data analysis from Bike Share Toronto shows how trip activity spiked following FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Read the article. 

📰 Is Toronto 'behind' on children's spaces? Decades of budget cuts and recent facility closures leave Toronto lagging behind major Canadian cities in dedicated, affordable spaces for children. Read the news. 

📄 Co-locating child care and housing in Canada. This report examines best practices to recommend enablers for a new generation of co-locating non-market housing and non-profit child care across the country. Read the report.

📄 What you are saying about "placemaking". Survey results from Project for Public Spaces show how a departure from the “placemaking” buzzword towards more community-led collaboration can shape public spaces for the long term. Read the report. 

📄 From asphalt to action: a guide to launching open streets in your neighbourhood. This guide provides resources and shares case studies on how to build open streets that reprioritize road space for use by people rather than cars. Read the guide.

🎙️ Disabled-led spaces and communicate care beyond the medical model. Hear insights shared by EcoWisdom’s Kari Krogh, who challenges traditional models of forest therapy in support of disabled-led nature connection programming. Listen to the podcast.

🎙️ Women Changing Cities—with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett. Co-authors Melissa and Chris Bruntlett draw from their book, Women Changing Cities, urging prioritisation of mobility and human-centered design for healthier, more resilient communities. Listen to the podcast.

🎙️ Leslie Kern: resisting gentrification. Feminist scholar and activist Leslie Klern calls for communities to resist displacement caused by urban gentrification through her book, Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies. Listen to the podcast.

🎙️ The STEM podcast. WomenACT’s The Stem Podcast is an upcoming podcast that explores lived experiences of women in STEM, from workplace barriers to opportunities for meaningful change. Learn more.

What’s Inspiring

🚶‍♀️ Toronto city council votes in favour of expanding car-free streets. City council recently voted in favour of expanding car-free zones across Toronto towards more pedestrian-friendly streets. Read the news.

🚴‍♀️ Free DIY bike repair in Toronto. The Cycle Toronto Rec Hub is offering free, drop-in bike maintenance, guidance, tools and on-site support until September. Learn more.

🎨 Calgary artists transform street barriers in time for city’s annual street art festival. Local artists bring safety and creativity together for Calgary’s upcoming annual BUMP festival by transforming ordinary street barriers into vibrant public art displays. Learn more.

🚝 Transit sparks a new vision for Brossard, Quebec. Brossard is leveraging Montreal’s metro system to create a downtown core that supports its fast-growing community of nearly 100,000 residents. Read the case study.

🚧 King Street unplugged: a week of pedestrian-powered community connection. King Street Unplugged is transforming Toronto’s downtown this July 26-31 with a pedestrian block that will create space for live music, art, markets, family activities and more. Learn more.

💪 A win for gender-based violence prevention, thanks to the ACWS. A successful advocacy campaign led by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) has helped protect women’s shelter services and secure new investments across the province. Learn more.

🏘️ Vancouver affordable housing community demonstrates the power of women-led solutions. Soroptimist House in Vancouver is redefining affordable housing through 135 homes designed to empower women and families. Read the article.

🌳 New outdoor community space in downtown Yellowknife. Just outside the Barren Ground Coffee is a new outdoor hang out space open to the public that includes seating, activities, and free toy and book libraries. Learn more.

What’s Coming Up

🗓️ Free city-building tours for Toronto youth and networking opportunities to explore architecture studios, university departments, and city councils. Register for the tours from July to August 2026. 

🗓️ Urban Data Analysis with Python by School of Cities is a workshop series for beginners looking to deepen Python knowledge and skills. Register for the workshop by August 4, 2026. 

🗓️ Policy Jam by CivicAction is a night of music, open-mic reflections, and civic dialogue around housing and community ahead of the GTHA municipal election. Register for the event on August 6, 2026.

💰 MobiliseYourCity's "People in Motion" street photography contest on gender and mobility in cities. Submit your design by August 9, 2026. 

💰 #StoriesInPublicSpaces is a sticker design contest for youth in Canada aged 16 to 30 to submit original artwork based on lived civic experience. Submit your design by August 31, 2026.

✍️ Shape the future of 2SLGBTQI+ Inclusion in Canada by participating inWomen and Gender Equality Canada’s national consultation. Take the survey by August 31, 2026.

💰 Canada Women’s Economic Leadership grant opportunity. Submit your application by September 15, 2026.

🗓️ Our city hall forum: council candidates debate on key election priorities from Women Transforming Cities’ campaign, held at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in Burnaby. Register for the forum on September 16, 2026. 

🗓️ Girls Forward has a monthly webinar series that connect participants with experts and community leaders to strategize for gender-inclusive sports. Learn more.

🪴 Garden stewardship volunteer opportunity with The Laneway Project to support the maintenance of community garden beds along Drover Lane. Applications open until filled.

Becoming a member gives you the opportunity to shape the organization and welcomes you into a community of like-minded women and gender-diverse people.