Zahra Ebrahim is an urbanist, educator, and strategist. Her award-winning work focuses on building bridges between institutions and their public, working with communities to co-design towards better social outcomes and leading some of Canada’s most ambitious participatory infrastructure and policy programs. She currently co-leads Monumental, a national organization focused on projects that advance fair, just, and culturally responsive citybuilding, with previous experience leading organizations across multiple sectors. She is an Adjunct Professor at the Daniels School of Architecture and Urbanist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities. She is the co-editor of Messy Cities, published by Coach House Books in 2025. She lives in Toronto with her partner, and their whippet, Zada.

Jane Farrow is a writer, broadcaster and dynamic interviewer and facilitator who has immersed herself in community and urban affairs. She has years of experience editing and researching reports, articles and books, including Any Other Way, a queer history anthology of Toronto (Coach House Books 2017), The Book of Lists (Knopf Canada, 2017 & 2005), and Wanted Words 1 and 2 (Stoddart). Her ten years at CBC radio included producing and hosting for current affairs programs such as This Morning, And Sometimes Y and Workology. Jane was the founding executive director of Jane’s Walk, a global initiative involving free, locally led walking tours inspired by urbanist Jane Jacobs’ ideas about connected, livable neighbourhoods