Women walking along a pedestrian-friendly street lined with trees, colourful murals, and local businesses. Photo taken by Nicole Roach in Montréal, QC.
What’s New
💻 Making it safe, making it work, and making it fun. Cycling with young children in car-centric cities isn't always easy, but parents are finding creative ways to make it work—from taking 15-minute detours to staying on protected paths. Read the blog.
📰 Number of women of colour in leadership sees largest single-year decline. Women remain largely underrepresented in executive roles in Canada — and for women of colour, the numbers have dropped even further. Read the article.
📄 Co-designing parks with teenage girls and young women. This article explores the gendered experiences of space and strategies for inclusivity in public parks. Read the research article.
📄 Towards a neurodiverse planning theory and practice. This commentary calls for the integration of neurodiversity into urban planning, with the aim of informing future theoretical development and empirical research. Read the research article.
📃 Monitoring housing accessibility for people with disabilities. A new joint report from the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) and the Federal Housing Advocate reveals that women with disabilities face higher barriers than men in accessing essential physical aids. Read the report.
📃 Fall 2026 housing supply report. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) latest report shows that the country faces an annual supply gap of 187,000 to 238,000 homes to restore pre-pandemic affordability. Read the report.
📑 Urban walk guides. Developed by JUST STREETS, these four adaptable walkability guides offer planners, advocate groups, and community members hands-on activities to assess street accessibility, perceived safety, and environmental quality in their local neighbourhoods. Read the guides.
What’s Inspiring
🚴 Montreal ranks second among the world’s best cycling cities. Montreal has been named the second-best city in the world for cycling, according to a new survey by Time Out. Learn more.
🅿️ “Strangers Calling” Park(ing) Day installation turned a parking space into a living room and social experiment. The pop-up included a bright pink vintage telephone that was ringing intermittently, inviting passer-byers to answer the call. See the installation.
✨ Glow rides light up the streets to highlight women’s cycling safety. A fun, illuminated group ride is bringing cyclists together to make an important point: women should feel safe riding their bikes after dark. Learn about the rides.
🏘️ Edmonton area is leading the nation in new housing starts. In its state of the region report, BILD Edmonton Metro found that housing starts have gone up 131 per cent over the last five years, compared to just 19 per cent nationally. Learn more.
🇬🇧 A Safer City for All Women and Girls Strategy 2026–29. London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has released a refreshed strategy to combat violence against women and girls with a focus on safe public space design. Read the strategy.
What’s Coming Up
🗓️ Making Room: Access to Capital for Affordable Housing. Join More Neighbours Toronto for a talk with Rental Rescue's Krystal Valencia on breaking down the financial and social capital barriers standing between communities and preserving affordable housing. Register for the event on October 28, 2026.
👩💻 Director of Philanthropy & Fund Development. This position with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Human Rights will provide strategic leadership over the fundraising program. Apply by October 30, 2026.
✍️ Tactical Urbanism NOW! 2026 Architecture Competition. Terraviva Competitions is accepting temporary, small-scale prototype designs that reshape public space and build community resilience—with a $10,000 prize pool! Submit your design by October 30, 2026.
🗓️ Urban Soul: Can Public Space Fight Urban Loneliness? Join CITIES FORUM for a webinar with industry experts on how urban design, inclusive public spaces, and walkable neighbourhoods can foster social connection and combat loneliness. Register for the webinar on October 30, 2026.
✍️ Call for inputs to the 2027 Thematic Report on Climate Change and the Rights of Women and Girls. The United Nations’ Working Group on discrimination against women and girls is seeking input to inform its next report. Share comments before October 31, 2026.
👩💻 Finance Manager. This position with Evergreen will manage the organization finances to support the transformation of public spaces in cities. Apply by November 1, 2026.
✍️ Safer parks: improving access for women and girls. This online course from the University of Leeds teaches what makes a park feel safe or unsafe, the Safer Parks Principles, and how to design and manage safer parks. Take the course.
👩💻 Executive Director. This position with GreenVenture will oversee the implementation of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan to support a low-emission Hamilton. Apply by November 5, 2026.
👩💻 Director. This volunteer position with OurSquamish will support the organization to enhance Squamish’s urban public spaces. Apply to the call for directors.
🗓️ School Neighbourhood Activation Playbook virtual workshop. This workshop will provide an overview of the playbook and highlight how it can be adapted to fit different local contexts across British Columbia. Register for the workshop on November 6, 2026.
🗓️ World Town Planning Day online conference. The American Planning Association and Canadian Institute of Planners host this annual global event, bringing together planners and communities to co-create equitable, resilient, and sustainable places. Register for the conference on November 6, 2026.
👩💻 Placemaking Manager. This position with the Downtown Halifax Business Commission will lead placemaking, public-realm, event and maintenance initiatives throughout the downtown. Apply to the job posting.
💰 “We Are Buying 81 Huron” campaign. The Toronto Chinatown Land Trust is working to raise $600,000 to bring 81 Huron into permanent community ownership, protecting two small businesses and creating two affordable forever homes. Donate to the campaign before November 15, 2026.
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.
