Archtivism

🔥 The housing and climate crises are one and the same—we can’t solve one without the other. 📰 Sharing this great piece where Giulio Ferrini, Head of Built Environment, Institute for Human Rights and Business, breaks down why sustainability and social responsibility in the built environment are inseparable. ✊🏾Personally, after years working at the intersection of social equity, sustainability, and urban resilience—whether through circular construction or affordable housing—I couldn't agree more: we can’t afford to keep these issues siloed. A truly inclusive, resilient city must tackle eco-equity in tandem ( 🚀I'm cooking something up on this—stay tuned...) 🚨 The dangerous myth? That "there’s a trade-off to be made between sustainability and social responsibility, when in fact our research shows that the two must go hand in hand," says Ferrini. 🇧🇪 A great example Guilio shares is Belgium’s energy-linked rent controls freeze rent on the least energy-efficient buildings while linking rent increases to energy performance. • Poor rating (E/F)? Rent is permanently frozen • Moderate (C/D)? Rent rises at half the rate of inflation • High efficiency (A/B)? Full inflation-based rent increase “Innovative models that enable large-scale renovation can offer huge financial savings and speed up decarbonization.” 💥 Now, some of you might be thinking about Toronto’s renoviction crisis and wondering if this would just lead to displacement. But Belgium is doing things differently. In the GTA, we see too many situations where landlords use renovations as a means to evict tenants and 2 or 3x rents, fueling displacement instead of sustainability. Weak protections mean tenants often bear the cost of so-called "improvements." 🚨 Belgium’s approach flips the script with a win-win-win scenario: ➡️ Lower energy bills keep housing affordable ➡️ Cities benefit from lower emissions and better housing stock ➡️ Rent increases are capped—no market resets post-renovation ➡️ Landlords are incentivized to invest in actual energy retrofits rather than cosmetic upgrades ⚪ This isn’t a silver bullet—strong enforcement is key. But compared to cities where renovictions and displacement are rampant, this proves sustainability and affordability can go hand in hand. 🤔 Could this work in the GTA? Would love to hear thoughts⬇️ . . . 💰 Giulio also discusses Austria’s successful cost-based housing model, where rental profits are capped based on costs, not market rates. Nearly 25% of the housing market operates this way and the private sector still thrives. 📈 Public-private partnerships need a rethink. Too often, public money funds affordable housing, only for it to be later privatized. We need models that protect longterm affordability rather than subsidizing private profit. 🚀 The bottom line? "It is impossible to guarantee social justice without tackling the climate emergency." – Giulio Ferrini Agree? ⬇️ #HousingCrisis #ClimateJustice #SustainableCities #UrbanEquity

💃This #IWD, I’m feeling deeply grateful for the incredible women who took the time to help me find my footing in Toronto, especially during those early months when everything felt unfamiliar! 🍁Moving to a new country comes with its challenges, but I was incredibly fortunate to have had the support of so many amazing women who took the time to meet with me, share insights, and offer guidance as I navigated my first months here. 🌷Now, a little over a year later, I find it meaningful to reflect on how their generosity, wisdom, and kindness truly made all the difference. Truly am beyond grateful. 🙏A heartfelt thank you to Gillian, Tahereh, Amanda, Helen, Katie, Ana-Francisca, Heather, Anne, Leslie, Linda, Jayne, Mary, maite, Shadi, Rosana, Iris, Cynthia. Meeting and connecting with you all made this transition so much smoother! 🌟On this International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the power of community and the womxn who lift each other up. Whether it’s offering advice, sharing opportunities, or simply being there to listen, small acts of support can have a lasting impact. ➡️Let’s keep showing up for one another. Who are the womxn who have helped shape your journey? 👉Take a moment to thank them today! #IWD #StrongerTogether #WomenSupportingWomen

💡Snow clearing is an equity issue. And over the past couple weeks we’ve seen proof of that. 🌨️Every heavy snowfall across many cities, we tend to see the same pattern: roads get cleared first, sidewalks—if cleared at all—come last. 🤨But who does that prioritization serve? It prioritizes those who drive, often our ‘Reference Men’ heading to their 9-to-5s. 💁♂️Reference man is a 6ft-tall cisgender heterosexual able-bodied upper middle class neuronormative white man. The supposed "normal" human standard used to design just about everything. 🛑Historically our cities have been designed by and for "Reference man" and this continued myopia completely disregards women, children, the elderly, people of colour, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and even most men! 🚫When it snows, parents, like myself trying (and failing miserably!!) to push strollers, caregivers assisting loved ones, people using wheelchairs, crutches, or mobility aids, transit riders who need to walk to bus stops are left struggling when snowy and icy sidewalks remain impassable. 🚗While car drivers—'Reference Men'—have the luxury of snow-cleared lanes to take them to and from their very important 9-to-5s. ➡️And worse…Snow plows push road snow onto sidewalks, making them even more inaccessible. 🚗When we treat roads as the only essential transportation space, we’re saying that driving is more important than walking, rolling, or taking transit. But cities should work for everyone, not just those with the privilege to drive. 📚In her book Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (highly recommend!) Caroline Criado Perez highlights snow clearing being a feminist issue. In Sweden, roads were once prioritized over sidewalks, as they remain to be in many places including Toronto, favouring drivers over those walking with children or carrying groceries. 🤕But studies showed pedestrians were 3x more likely to be injured in icy conditions than drivers—most of them women. Clearing sidewalks first not only improved safety but also saved the state money by reducing injuries and healthcare expenses. ✊🏾If we really care about equity, accessible and snow-cleared sidewalks need to be a priority, not an afterthought. Agree? #Archtivism #SharedStreets #BuiltEnvironment #InclusiveDesign #Cities

💡 If a city is great for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old, it will be better for everyone. Agree? ✨ It’s such an honour to join the board of an organization that’s guided by that simple but powerful idea. ✊ I first heard about 8 80 Cities when a student in the seminar I was teaching at TU Delft introduced me to the concept. I was instantly intrigued. As an advocate for cities that prioritize non-Reference Man people, this felt like a strong foundation for building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities. 🍁 Fast forward to my first few weeks in Toronto, I reached out to Amanda O'Rourke, 8 80 Cities’ Executive Director, and she welcomed me with such kindness, meeting with me twice, inviting me to the 8 80 office, and helping me get settled in my new city. That generosity speaks to the values of the organization and the incredible people behind it. 🤝 Since then, I’ve been fortunate to see Amanda, Shannon, and their team in action in Cooksville, collaborating with us at CP Planning to build a more inclusive and equitable Peel region. And now, it has come full circle: I’m truly honoured to join the Board of Directors of 8 80 Cities. A hearty thanks to Gil for inviting me to join the board! 🛍️A fun full-circle moment: Amanda once gave me an 8 80 Cities tote bag, which sparked curiosity from one of my kids’ daycare carers. That curiosity led them to explore the organization’s work, reflect on spatial inequalities, and become an avid advocate for equitable cities. The movement keeps growing! 🌍 For those unfamiliar, 8 80 Cities is a Toronto-based nonprofit with global impact, founded by Gil Penalosa in 2007. The guiding principle? If a city works for both an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old, then it works for everyone. And by weaving in intersectionality, the team takes inclusion to its fullest extent, igniting action, challenging the status quo, and creating healthier, more equitable, and sustainable cities for all. 📢 If you’re interested in learning more, funding this amazing work, or collaborating on a project, check out their website or reach out to Amanda! ❓ So what do you think? If we design cities for 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds, will we truly create better cities for all? #880Cities #CreatingCitiesForAll #RightToPublicSpace #InclusiveDesign #SustainableCities

Activism is a marathon, not a sprint—and resilience, community, and self-care are what keep us in the race. ✨ That’s why I’m looking forward to spotlighting these themes in my talk, delivered in both English and French, at the SYNCtogether Youth Gathering next Saturday. This gathering is part of the “Supporting Youth Navigating Change Together” initiative, a collaboration with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO | Commission canadienne pour l'UNESCO, presented and facilitated by Miranda Jimmy. 🌟 For many activists, balancing the weight of fighting for change with personal well-being is especially challenging in today’s world. It’s like the oxygen mask on a plane—you can’t help others unless you’re taking care of yourself first. And trust me, I’ve needed to remind myself of this quite a lot recently. 🌿 In addition to sharing insights on Archtivism, sustainable communities, strategic direction, social equity, and my work as an influencer with UNESCO Green Citizens, I’ll draw from my own experiences in activism to explore how prioritizing well-being can empower us to face challenges with clarity and strength—enabling us to take impactful action toward the future we envision. 🔗 While this event is a closed session for participating youth, I’m honoured to contribute to an initiative that amplifies youth perspectives on community activism and equity. Together, they are working toward shared wisdom and actionable insights for creating sustainable, inclusive change. 🤝 I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Miranda Jimmy, and these inspiring changemakers 🌎 🧠 In the fight for change, resilience and self-care aren’t optional—they’re revolutionary. Agree? #YouthLeadership #UNESCO #Resilience #Equity #Activism And a hearty thanks to Miranda for inviting me to share at the event!

🌍 What if we could transform the world’s hardest-to-recycle waste to build the cities of tomorrow?   ♻️ For far too long, our economy has relied on a take-make-consume-waste model, especially in construction. Shifting to a circular economy means finding ways to decouple economic growth from the consumption of finite resources—closing the loop and keeping materials in use indefinitely.   🏗️ In the spirit of Circular Economic Archtivism, we must revolutionize how we design and build, envisioning cities where building materials and parts are disassembled, recycled, traded and reassembled creating new structures to adapt and meet society’s evolving needs.   📚 Retrak Corp embodied this vision by creating an innovative recycled material: polyaluminum, a sustainable material created from multilayer packaging waste, such as Tetrapak—one of the most challenging waste streams to recycle, contributing 184 million tons of global waste each year. Retrak transforms this waste into a durable alternative to traditional construction materials like wood, drywall, and fibre cement.   💡Using this material they built Latin America’s first STEAM classroom using recycled materials in December 2019. This eco-friendly space serves over 550 students annually but beyond classrooms, Retrak uses these materials to create furniture, trash cans, and buildings, proving that urban development can thrive within a circular economy while addressing critical global waste challenges.   🎯 Their mission: To safeguard the environment by developing materials that integrate into construction and everyday products, driving sustainable development and fostering a more resilient, circular future.🌍   -- 💚Retrak is part of UNESCO Green Citizens, a UNESCO initiative supporting projects worldwide that combat environmental challenges and inspire hope through tangible solutions in 65 countries. Join us in supporting Retrak and other citizen-driven projects:   🌐 Go to the #UNESCOGreenCitizens website 🌟 Choose a project that appeals to you ✉️ Contact the project directly 👉https://lnkd.in/gqFzzFzh #CircularEconomy #Archtivism #SustainableConstruction #STEAMEducation #GreenInnovation #UNESCOGreenCitizens Adiaratou Caroline

💤 One of the greatest life lessons I’ve learned came during sleepless nights with my twins. 👶👶 When my girls arrived last year, they didn’t just change my life—they reshaped my entire perspective on leadership. Suddenly, “future generations” weren’t an abstract idea anymore; they had faces. Their arrival brought urgency to my work as an #Archtivist, turning “an equitable and resilient future” into a deeply personal mission. 😩But being a new parent isn’t just profound—it’s also very tiring. The first big test? Sleep (or lack thereof!) 🍼For months, our twins woke every few hours, needing bottles, rocking, and endless comforting. My wife and I were running on fumes, questioning if sleep training was even possible, especially with two babies. Could it really work? Could we stick with it? 🌙 Those first nights were really hard, lots of crying, and not just the girls! But then after three rough nights, the magic happened: they started sleeping through the night!!!! 🙌🏾 And with it came a profound realization: 🔥 What feels out of your control often isn’t. By rushing to soothe every cry, we’d unintentionally reinforced the pattern we wanted to break. Change demanded resilience, discomfort, and trust in the process—even when it felt impossible in the moment, and it definitely did those first nights. ➡️And this lesson resonates far beyond parenting, whether in leadership, #archtivism, or life: Meaningful progress requires: 1️⃣ Noticing the patterns that hold us back. 2️⃣ Realizing we can influence what feels out of control. 3️⃣ Taking courageous action, even when it’s uncomfortable and uncertain. ✨ Progress isn’t about waiting for things to fix themselves. It’s about leaning into discomfort, committing to the work, and trusting that the effort will pay off. 💬 When has a tough experience taught you a powerful lesson? How do you find the courage to stick with uncomfortable decisions? 🌍💪🏾 Let me know in the comments ⬇️ #TwinMama #Leadership #Resilience @Archtivism #Growth

Are you an #Archtivist? 🌟 I coined the term archtivism because I felt we were lacking a movement that unites us for positive change. 💪🏾 We need a collaborative and collective effort if we really want to build a just and sustainable living spaces and communities for everyone, everywhere. 🛠️Building on philosopher & sociologist Henri Lefebvre’s idea: We all have the right to the city. I believe we should claim this right and seize the opportunity to co-create the type of city we all can thrive in. ✊🏾That can mean through the built environment profession - designing, funding, writing policy for, or developing regenerative, resilient, and just communities and cities. As non-professionals we can start by sharing and amplifying our embodied lived experiences in the built environment, by attending our local city planning meetings, by joining citizen advocacy groups, by forming community land trusts, by taking part in the bettering of our neighbourhoods, or by sweating under the hot sun protesting our right to the city. ➡️In contrast to the protected professions of Architecture or Planning, Archtivism has less barriers - There is no one way to be an Archtivist. There is no one way to be citizen city-makers co-designing places and spaces we can all live, work, play and be ourselves in. 💪🏾 Archtivism is yours to claim. So claim your right to the living spaces and communities that we all deserve. Graphic Inspired by UN Women. #Archtivism #BuiltEnvironment #Cities #SocialAction #ClimateAction

📢 Excited to give a lecture on Architecture and Activism this Wednesday as part of the Architecture Speaks Lecture Series! 🗓 When: Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 1:15–2:30 pm (UTC+2, Finnish time)   ⏰ Early morning for me in Toronto /!\, but perfectly timed for folks in EMEA! 💻 Where: Online (Zoom) – Pre-registration required! ✨ In my talk, I'll dive into #Archtivism —the inspiring blend of architecture and activism. We'll explore how architects can challenge the status quo, dismantle barriers, and foster practices that centre social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive design. Together, we’ll reimagine how the profession can help create resilient, sustainable cities for everyone, everywhere. ✊The series looks at the fact that in the era of AI, it is particularly important to consider the architect’s role and societal responsibility. Activism in architecture, whether through social housing, inclusivity issues, biodiversity, new building materials, circular economy, or architectural representation, is a means to act within the profession. 🎤 This event is part of the 10th season of the #ArchitectureSpeaks series, hosted by Aalto University and the Arkkitehtuurimuseo / Museum of Finnish Architecture. 💡Honoured to join a stellar line-up of six architects and architectural groups curated by Jenni Reuter, Associate Professor and Head of Architecture at Aalto University: Arnhildur Palmadottir / Lendager, Nicolas Coeckelberghs / BC architects & studies, Malin Blomqvist / MASU Planning, fala atelier, and Siv Helene Stangeland / Helen & Hard. ➡️ Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/g_jSrMsH 💬Looking forward to seeing you there! #Archtivist #Architecture #InclusiveDesign #SustainableArchitecture #ArchitecturalActivism

💡 A true smart city goes beyond data; it fosters vibrant communities where technology serves people—prioritizing the needs of all, especially the most vulnerable. 🌟Reflections from on an inspiring week at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona! 🇪🇸 💬From powerful discussions to diverse perspectives, the event’s programming challenged the tech-focused view of smart cities. Many sessions, including my own, emphasized the human side—using tech to make cities more equitable, accessible, and inclusive for all. 🌍Sessions with officials, researchers, tech leaders, and non-profits emphasized social justice and urban equity, showing technology as a bridge, not a barrier. Cheryll Case (CP Planning) highlighted investing in human-rights based, community, and grassroots solutions, while Maria Noel Vaeza (UN Women) and Laura Valdés (Metropolis, World Association of the Major Metropolises) talked about the importance of addressing gender issues and supporting the caring city—topics that resonate deeply with me. 👥In a compelling session on Redefining Livability for the Citizens of Tomorrow, City of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell reminded us that change is and making strides in climate resilience, health, and housing, means uplifting everyone and address the needs of all, even if it means bringing some along “kicking and screaming.” 🎤I had the pleasure of chairing the session Urban Innovation: Creating Cities for All on impactful strategies from time use policies and citizen participation to digital accessibility and wellbeing metrics to prioritize equality, accessibility, and dignity in urban settings. Panel: Marta Junqué (Time Use Initiative - TUI), Mariusz Sagan, PhD (Lublin Municipal Office), Jennifer Russell, CSEP (INCOSE), Carla Kranenborg-van Eerd (Gemeente Breda), Anneli Simm (TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology). ✨I’m grateful for the chance to connect with so many brilliant minds—special thanks to Pilar Conesa, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Honorata Grzesikowska, Laura Valdés, Camille Tallon, Hadir Hanna Al Koshta, and more. Big shout-out to Clàudia Gomis Lleal for the invitation. 🚀 Looking ahead, I’m excited to see these themes also prominently featured on the Expo floor itself. Imagine the expo packed with technologies that drive civic participation, democratize urban design, and serve means to breaking cycles of inequality in cities worldwide. 🌆 As cities are at the forefront of global challenges—from climate change to rising inequalities, housing unaffordability, conflict, and mass displacement—it was such a pleasure to come together with 25K+ leaders at #SCEWC24 to advance solutions in urban mobility, housing, equity, and sustainability. 🌱 A closing thought: consider that a city’s true intelligence may lie in its empathy and its people.  Agree? #SmartCityExpo #SCEWC24 #UrbanPlanning #InclusiveCities #UrbanInnovation #EquityInPlanning