Her-Story

of Cities

Celebrating magnificent women who have made remarkable contributions toward the betterment of their cities

BRINGING TOGETHER HER-VOICE & DAYLIGHTING

THE CRITICAL ROLE OF WOMEN FOR CITIES

This site is inspired by so many amazing women – some who I call friends, some who I have worked with and some who I have admired from a distance.

A special shout-out to the 34 women of the IWF Women's’ Fellowship Class of 2011-2012 with whom I explored leadership from all angles. This site is the legacy from that year.

She Builds Cities
She Builds Cities

WOMEN ARE THE KEY TO A HOPEFUL FUTURE FOR CITIES

In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of our human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion. Half of these will be women.

People are moving to urban areas seeking new opportunities, new options, freedom in choices, and better resources. Women, in particular, believe that they can improve their status, position, and their children’s opportunities by seeking work and educational opportunities for themselves or their children in the cities. Many even venture beyond their own countries in search of a better quality of life. Billions of women have an important role to play in building the cities of tomorrow.

She Builds Cities

In a time of the pandemic, anti-racism protests, and a global economic downturn, the opportunities for women to rise are at risk. The data is showing that women and young girls are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. NOW is a critical moment to elevate women of diverse backgrounds into the spotlight, to support them, as they hold the ground for those that need to come after. Our cities depend on this.

I am Leslie Woo

She Builds Cities

Leadership is Messy

When I worked as a Chief of Staff for a provincial minister – every morning at 7:30 we had a stand up staff meeting in the office to pre-brief on news hitting the front page or back page, or on social. We marvelled at how the media assumed that everything the government did was well…