About Us

Cassandra is a multidisciplinary professional working at the intersection of urbanism, design, community engagement, and social/economic development. Over the past decade, she has contributed to diverse design studios and urban research organizations both in Toronto and internationally, such as UofT’s School of Cities, VTLA, SvN, Lanescape, The Laneway Project, and Planit (UK).

Currently, Cassandra serves as the Community Safety & Wellbeing Consultant for the City of Toronto’s 10-Year Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan (SafeTO) in partnership with the Downtown Yonge BIA. Here she focuses on place-based economic empowerment & development approaches through co-designing with communities. She is also a board member of The Laneway Project, where her deep passion for laneway revitalization, urban acupuncture, and tactile urbanism shines.

With a strong foundation in placemaking and community-driven change, Cassandra is dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. She brings years of experience in engaging communities, fostering inclusive collaboration, and creating lasting, positive impacts through thoughtful co-design.

Carlos is a journalist and social psychologist whose focus lies in advocacy and policy-making. He comes from a 20-year career in PR, Marketing, and Partnerships, mostly at Google – with working experiences in Latin America, North America, and Asia.

In Brazil, he co-founded three nonprofits that work towards a more sustainable and democratic approach to public spaces and urban mobility, and was then elected for consecutive terms to the Urban Policy and the Traffic & Transport city councils in Sao Paulo (Pop. 12M), from 2015 to 2021.

Now based in Europe, Carlos left the private sector for a Masters in Public Policy at Oxford, following his passion for a new approach to the urban environment and his experience of championing the topic locally and internationally.

Celia Beketa is a design researcher who puts participatory and co-creation methods at the centre of her practice. She hopes to bring a human-centred lens to the design of just and equitable cities and challenge assumptions about who has a voice at the table for critical urban planning decisions. She acts as the ‘global co-chair’ of Jane’s Walk—she is currently pursuing her Masters in Urban Studies and over the next two years will be living in four cities across Europe. In her work at Doblin Canada, she helped private and public sector organizations better understand their users (for instance, customers, employees, or residents), and design their services around their needs. She was previously on the Steering Committee of the Toronto Public Space Committee. In her spare time you can find her either in the audience or on the stage of a community theatre production.

Claire is an urban designer with a global perspective and a strong commitment to community engagement. She initiated Jane’s Walk in Shanghai and expanded it to over 10 cities across China, building a network of local leaders passionate about urban exploration. Since relocating to Toronto in 2023, she has continued to champion accessible, community-driven urban experiences. With extensive experience in master planning, architectural design, and placemaking, Claire advocates for human-centered design and community innovation. Currently an urban designer with the City of Toronto, she is also working on a book about the Jane’s Walk movement in China. Claire enjoys exploring diverse neighborhoods and observing the nuances of street life.

Eunice is an award-winning urban designer, researcher, registered planner, illustrator, studio instructor, and all-around curious person. They’re currently the Lead Researcher at Monumental – a Toronto-based, social purpose firm working to advance equitable urban development and inclusive city-building. Coming into this role, Eunice was most recently at architecture firm Perkins&Will as an associate and senior urban designer, with deep expertise in community engagement, land use planning, public realm design, built form testing, and transportation design. They also led various research efforts around gender equity, public space, public health, and as host of the Inhabit podcast.

Eunice is always thinking about the human experience and opportunities for storytelling, balancing both quantitative and qualitative design approaches. They are passionate about intersections—in human identities, between planning and people, urbanism and nature…  and literally the design of intersections. Eunice lives in Toronto with their partner and very silly dog Peanut.

Jenny Foster loves her city, and has worked in the non-profit world for over 12 years. After being inspired at an early age by her grandmother, she has devoted her life to her community and has held fundraising roles across various sectors, including education, food security, social services, and politics. Currently Manager, Foundation Partnerships at CNIB. She also has a strong history of volunteerism. She held the role of Executive Director at West Hill Harvest, a local Scarborough charity, for over 10 years and currently sits on the Board of the Housing Help Centre. She is an avid reader and writer, and an award-winning yoga teacher. Jenny holds a BA in Political Science from The University of Toronto and a certificate in Fundraising Management from Seneca College, and is a Certified Fundraising Professional.

Alejandra is an urban designer and founder of Embracce, a multidisciplinary agency specializing in marketing communications and facilitation. With a Bachelor of Architectural Studies in Urbanism from Carleton University, she integrates digital media, participatory engagement, and strategic storytelling to build meaningful connections and empower communities.

A strong advocate for green urban infrastructure, smart density, affordable housing, and multi-modal mobility, Alejandra believes in the transformative power of the public realm to shape healthy, vibrant, and resilient cities.

Beyond her professional work, she actively participates and volunteers with organizations dedicated to community building, cultural initiatives, and urban advocacy, reinforcing her commitment to equitable and sustainable urban development.

Priya is an architect, academic and an urbanist. She is currently facilitating the development of two strategic plans for large Ontario school districts, community engagement for the City of Vaughan, and an international multi-city survey on child rights in sport. In her parallel design work, she navigates an expanded field of design in an attempt to understand its potential as a political, social, economic, technological and spatial practice. Her creative spatial practice ranges over various scales and media, with some notable projects exhibited at a national exposition, museum and web series. Priya brings 8+ years of experience between industry and academia, and is an alumnus of the Fulbright Program, Parsons School of Design, and Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. She is new to Toronto, keen to learn of its neighborhoods by moving through them and interacting with communities. She communicates fluently in English, Urdu, Hindi and Sindhi.

Sarah is equal parts community builder and explorer with a strong background in community development approaches and a strong passion for facilitating meaningful engagement. Sarah has a professional background in the non-profit sector, having worked with organizations that support grassroots organizing and cross-sector collaborations and networking. When not working, you can find her exploring parks and greenspaces as a hike guide and leader, encouraging accessibility and representation in outdoor spaces.

Susan is passionate about dialogue, and creating new spaces for people to learn and collaborate on topics they care about. She lives with her family in Centretown, Ottawa. Susan has hosted arts radio programs on CKCU FM since 1999. She’s part of the Board of Directors at Synapcity, an Ottawa organization bringing together people and institutions, sharing tools to make Ottawa more beautiful, diverse, and prosperous. She has worked with Community Mediation Ottawa and the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution to help people and groups strengthen their capacity to talk through and learn from their differences. In 2014, she co-founded Ottawa (de)tours, a social enterprise with a mandate to help people explore and discuss contemporary issues, which operated for six seasons. She is passionate about using radio, storytelling, and walking to help people deepen their relationship with the Ottawa River, as a landmark central to her community’s history and present-day life. Find her on CKCU 93.1 FM | ckcufm.com early on Friday mornings.

Originally from Calgary, Talia is a passionate advocate for equal access to public space, sports and recreation. She has 18 years of experience in program design, training and facilitation in the non-profit sector. Talia has a Master’s in Education from Queen’s University in Ontario, with a focus on Indigenous education, and conducted research on designing equitable and decolonised youth leadership programs. She is involved with promoting safe access to sport in public spaces through her volunteer work with Pushing Against Racism, SSHRED (Skateboarding, Sustainability, Health, Research, Environmental Design), and the Peniche Skatepark Association, which she co-founded in Portugal, where she has been putting down roots since 2020. Her professional experience includes developing play-based curriculum for youth in places as varied as Afghanistan, Canada, Cambodia, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. In March 2025, Talia started in a new role as Senior Programmes Manager with the International Platform for Sport and Development.

Wesley Reibeling is a multidisciplinary artist, urbanist, and cultural strategist based in Toronto. Wesley is the outgoing co-chair of Jane’s Walk Toronto and Jane’s Walk Global, At Park People, Wesley is the Program Manager of Toronto Networks and Partnerships where he works closely with community park groups, NGOs and the City of Toronto.

Wesley works at the intersection of arts, culture, equity, and urbanism. His expertise spans public engagement, placemaking, municipal consultation, and cultural programming, emphasizing how cities should be shaped by lived experiences rather than top-down planning. Wesley is an advocate for queer public spaces and worked locally and internationally on supporting queer placemaking and has collaborated with organizations like Imagine Cities, Urban Minds, PlacemakingX and Placemaking Canada, Project for Public Spaces, and the High Line Network to foster more democratic, inclusive city-making.

Beyond their organizational roles, Wesley is a thought leader, writer, and creative practitioner who explores how public space, storytelling, and cultural activation can drive climate adaptation, resilience, and community care. His work increasingly focuses on supporting historically marginalized communities, and advancing cultural strategies that challenge extractive engagement models.