YWCA Metro Vancouver Reimagining Our Cities
byYWCA Metro Vancouver will host Reimagining Our Cities on September 22nd at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. This free event invites the public to listen to lively discussions featuring keynote speaker Maria Vassilakou, Former Deputy Mayor of Vienna, Austria, and a panel discussion that brings together diverse, multi-sectoral community leaders to boldly and creatively reimagine what our cities could be.
Imagine what our cities could be if equity, inclusion and justice were at the heart of decision-making.
YWCA Metro Vancouver Reimagining Our Cities
- When: Thursday, September 22, 2022 6:30pm to 8:30pm
- Where: SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema and World Art Centre (149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver)
- Admission: Register for free
Maria Vassilakou, Vienna’s former Deputy Mayor from 2010-2019, responsible for Urban Planning, Traffic & Transport, Climate Protection, Energy and Public Participation will be the keynote speaker. Vienna continually ranks as one of the top most livable cities in the world. Vassilakou will share how her administration achieved this through unique practices in urban planning that ensured all genders were equally accounted for in policy, legislation and resource allocation. From public transportation and social housing to walkable streets, Vienna is a city that considers all citizen’s needs.
Andrea Reimer, Founder and Principal of Tawâw Strategies, former three-term Vancouver Councillor, Metro Vancouver Director and one-time school trustee, will host the evening’s discussions. An instructor at both UBC and SFU on how power works in practice, Andrea makes for an experienced facilitator for discussions surrounding what could be possible for Metro Vancouver cities through more balanced decision-making for all gender identities.
Following Maria’s Keynote, Reimer will host a panel discussion featuring local community leaders with diverse lived and professional experience, including:
- Ginger Gosnell Myers, Fellow focused on Decolonization and Urban Indigenous Planning, SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue
- Kevin Huang, Executive Director, Hua Foundation
- Nic Wayara, Founder, Hook or Crook Consulting
- Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, Expert in urban and feminist geography, Senior Lecturer, SFU
The event will conclude with a reading by Elliott Slinn, Poet Laureate, City of New Westminster, who will create an original piece based on the evening’s discussions.
For those not able to attend in person, discussions are available by livestream.
About YWCA City Shift
YWCA City Shift aims to make our region more equitable, prosperous, and just by supporting Metro Vancouver cities to challenge assumptions, incorporate diverse perspectives, and support actions that serve the entire community. YWCA City Shift is funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada.
