Learn about gender equity & urbanism in the articles we write.
Here you’ll find stories, insights, and updates that reflect the work we’re passionate about. From practical resources to thoughtful reflections, our posts are here to spark ideas, share knowledge, and keep you connected with the conversations shaping our community.
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How Hostile Architecture Harms Women
Hostile architecture creates exclusionary public environments, typically targeting the most vulnerable populations. This design practice creates spaces that are not comfortable for anyone to pause, linger, or relax in for extended periods of time. Here are six elements of hostile architecture and how they directly and indirectly harm women.
Home Grown
Carmahn McCalla’s exhibit “Home Grown” explores the intersections of womanhood, Blackness, and nature, in Downtown Halifax.
Placemaking for women
Cities have been designed without women’s experiences in mind for a long time, making public spaces feel unsafe or inaccessible. Placemaking with a gender lens centres women’s daily realities such as care work, mobility needs, and safety concerns. It calls for inclusive and supportive environments shaped through diverse voices. Designing for women ultimately creates cities that work for everyone.
How to Design Cities for Play
This photo essay shares examples from across Canada of creative ways that cities are incorporating play into their designs—for the kid in everyone.
How to Design Public Seating for Women
Public seating is critical in creating a welcoming, comfortable, and safe environment that people want to relax and linger in. Here are 8 characteristics of quality public seating that caters to the needs of women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
Navigating Motherhood in the City
Navigating the city with a child can be one of the most unexpectedly challenging parts of parenthood due to inaccessibility, lack of infrastructure, and social isolation.
Queer Activism in Public Space
As recently introduced laws and policies across North America attempt to regulate queer people's access to healthcare, public space, and gender expression, the fight for representation and inclusion in cities continues.
The People, Projects, and Places that Inspired us in 2022
As an organization, we are consistently inspired by the work of many people across the country. In seeking to elevate others' work and raise our collective impact, here is a wrap-up of the individuals, initiatives, and cities that made a difference in 2022.
How to get Harassment off our Streets
Street harassment is pervasive in Canadian cities, creating unwelcome and even dangerous public environments for many women. Here are some urban design strategies for getting harassment off our streets.
How to Build Public Spaces for Teen Girls
Teen girls have unique needs and experiences that are often left out of our built environment. Explore three projects across the world as they share how they are transforming public spaces for teen girls (and how you can too!)
How to Create Parks for the People
Parks are typically designed to meet children’s needs, but how can these spaces also meet the needs of parents, teen girls, and the community? Folkets Park, also known as “The People’s Park”, demonstrates how.
Feminist Cities are also Deaf-Friendly Cities
Feminist interventions work to serve people with multiple identities and social factors. Here is how they also serve individuals who experience deafness.
Building Cities for Kids Benefits Everyone
Kids need safe ways to get around, close access to friends, and spaces for play. Building cities for kids makes them more fun, safe, and equitable for everyone.
Cold Places can Create Warm Public Spaces
Can a cold, snowy Canadian city be built for people? The Nestaweya River Trail reimagines what a winter city could be.
If it’s not Intersectional, it’s not a Feminist City
Many traditional feminist interventions prioritize wealthy, white women over others. An intersectional approach is needed to ensure feminist cities are truly for everyone.
The Way we Shape Cities, Shapes us
We have built cities that make us sad, unhealthy, and poor - but, we have the power to transform them, and ourselves.