What if the true architects of our cities are not the government officials or urban planners, but the communities who live in them? In this episode, we dive deep into a provocative question: When governments fail to provide essential services like water and electricity, and communities step up to fill the gaps, who define the future of urban development?

We journey to Brazil to unravel the story of the 2001 City Statute, a groundbreaking piece of legislation aimed at making cities more equitable. This innovative law, born from decades of activism and aimed at redistributing urban resources, has struggled with implementation challenges. My special guest, Mayara Almeida de Paula, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and an expert in urban planning, will share her insights on how race, gender, and urban policies impact the lives of Black women in Brazil and how these factors either support or restrict their right to the city.