What would a city look like if it were built for the needs of the people who live there? A transport system that accommodates parents with prams on the school run? A public space with enough toilets? A place where women can walk without harassment?

Gentrification has made the everyday lives of many, especially women, even more difficult.  In this conversation, Leslie Kern exposes the social inequalities that are built into our cities, homes, and neighbourhoods, and offers an alternative vision. It is time to dismantle what we take for granted about cities and to ask how we can build more just, sustainable, and careful cities together.

Leslie Kern is an Associate Professor of Geography and Environment and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Mount Allison University. She is the author of Sex and the Revitalized City and Urban Citizenship.