How are cities made, and who has the power and agency to shape their futures? Taking the exhibition The Fortune of the City is That It Has Never Been Perfect as a starting point, this conversation considers the city as a collective and evolving project, continuously shaped by economic, political, and social forces, as well as by the people and communities who inhabit it.

Bringing together Marc Angélil and Zahra Ebrahim, the discussion explores the relationships among architecture, urban development, housing, infrastructure, governance, and community agency. Drawing on their respective work and perspectives, they examine how cities are produced beyond the intentions of architects and planners through capitalism, public policy, institutions, and everyday life.

Covering ecological transformations and housing pressures to questions of participation and public responsibility, the conversation asks how different actors and forms of knowledge contribute to shaping urban environments. Who makes the decisions that determine how cities evolve? Whose interests and experiences are represented, and how can the city become a more collective project?

The event is open to the public and free, but as places are limited, we recommend registering here.

Marc Angélil is an architect at agps architecture, a firm with ateliers in Zurich, Los Angeles, and Prague. He held a visiting professorship in architecture and urban design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (2020–22) and is professor emeritus at ETH Zurich (1994–2019). His book Mirroring Effects explores the sociospatial impact of development-led urbanization on habitats in different world regions today. His built projects include the headquarters of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Gland, the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles, and the aerial tram infrastructure project in Portland. His recent publication Flux Redux addresses errors made in practice when trying to mitigate the impact of architecture on climate.

Zahra Ebrahim is the co-founder of Monumental. Central to her work is supporting governments at all levels to redesign systems and services essential to the public’s well- being, with the goal of making cities work for residents who face the most acute barriers. Ebrahim is currently an urbanist-in-residence at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, and an adjunct professor at the Daniels School of Architecture. She is also the Vice-Chair of the Toronto Arts Council, and has served on a range of local and national boards focused on driving positive social outcomes. She is the co-editor of the book Messy Cities, and her newest book, Women, Walking, was recently published by Coach House Books.