Urban Studies cooperatives work towards a feminist city of Surrey

From L-R: Dionne Co, Ghazaleh Akbarnejad, Rahil Adeli, Farina Fassihi, Fiorella Pinillos and Aman Chandi. City in Colour and Citopia, created by six migrant women of colour from SFU's Urban Studies master's program, aim to create an equitable, inclusive and accessible city and work environment for women. The two urban consultancy cooperatives are part of a larger network of cooperatives under the Solid State Community Industries umbrella based in the city of Surrey. The cooperatives are working on a project called Towards a Feminist City of Surrey , funded by the Feminist Recovery Grant (FRG). The three-year project supports Surrey's public institutions in their efforts to hire, retain and support racialized women in the workforce. Rahil Adeli, Ghazaleh Akbarnejad, Aman Chandi, Dionne Co, Fiorella Pinillos and Farina Fassihi created the cooperatives to provide a safe space for women of colour in urban planning, and to engage with minority groups who are traditionally excluded in city planning. Their goal is to analyze past and current City of Surrey EDI initiatives and policies with the aim of filling any gaps that prevent women from advancing in the workforce.