Often “the public realm” is defined as publicly owned places and spaces that belong to and are accessible to everyone, but reality finds that these ostensibly inclusive environments tend to be open and accessible only to a privileged few.

Chelina Odbert, the co-founder and CEO of Kounkuey Design Initiative, will present strategies for making the public realm more public, demonstrating ways that designers, planners and communities can ensure that these shared spaces are as inclusive and accessible as their name suggests they should be.

As Founding Principal and CEO of Kounkuey Design Initiative, Chelina Odbert aims to bring good design to places where it isn’t often found and connect localized design interventions to large-scale policy change. Her work is driven by her belief in the power of community-engaged design to advance racial, environmental and economic equity in neighbourhoods and cities.