Advancing a fair and just world, raising others up as we rise.

Monumental_About@2x.png — Monumental is a social purpose business working to advance equitable city-building and urban development. We work with governments, private companies and non-profits to create thoughtful solutions to complex urban issues, with social equity and community voice at the center. We do all of this while putting the development and success of BIPOC leaders at the center of our practice.

Our Practice

Monumental is a partnership between seasoned leaders, Kofi Hope and Zahra Ebrahim. Both of their careers have lived at the intersections of grassroots and institutional change, community knowledge and academic research, strategy and the human experience. Monumental’s work does the same, working in dynamic ways across a variety of spaces. Outside of our core staff team, we work with an extensive network of collaborators and subject matter experts, forming teams on a project-by-project basis.

Engagement & Co-Design

In order for people to meaningfully participate in change in their communities, they need to be invited into the process with care and consideration. Monumental designs and facilitates creative, joyful, safe, and rich engagement processes. We also partner with communities to develop solutions using human-centered design and participatory practices.

Strategy, Policy & Research

Monumental helps organizations craft strategies that articulate their core values and social impact objectives in clear, measurable and attainable ways. We also support the development of policy frameworks that are evidence based, culturally responsive and community-informed. This work includes leading multi-disciplinary research projects, and ensuring that our projects are accessible and accountable to local communities.

Retreats & Capacity Building

Monumental specializes in curating retreat spaces where leaders - whether they are Boards, Executive Teams, or collaboratives - can connect, learn and deepen their collective ‘why.’ We also create immersive and holistic learning journeys, stand-alone or part of larger processes, where community members, staff teams or students can gain knowledge and skills.

Innovative & Bold Initiatives

Monumental’s entrepreneurial orientation lends us to not just speak about change, but to also design and implement new, innovative projects in-house. They span programs or activities that clients request us to develop, to new initiatives we see a need for in the world, but don’t see anyone positioned to launch themselves. These projects include: Making Space, All Out, and FutureBUILDS.

Clients & Partnerships

Our work crosses industries and sectors. We have been honoured to work with great clients and partners such as:

Black Opportunity Fund, Black Screen Office, Canada Lands Company, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, City of London, City of Toronto, Concrete Cardinal, CP Planning, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Future Skills Centre, George Brown College, Infrastructure Institute, Northcrest Developments, Toronto Community Housing, Tridel, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, University of Toronto’s School of Cities

The Team

Zahra Ebrahim (she/they)

Co-Founder

Zahra Ebrahim is the Co-Founder of Monumental. She is a public interest designer and strategist, and an established bridge builder across grassroots and institutional spaces. Her work has focused on community-led approaches to policy, infrastructure, and service design. Prior to Monumental, she built and led Doblin Canada, Deloitte’s Human-Centred Design practice. In her early career, Zahra led one of Canada’s first social design studios, working with communities to co-design towards better social outcomes, leading some of Canada’s most ambitious participatory infrastructure and policy programs. Zahra has taught at OCADU, MoMA, and is currently an Urbanist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities. She has been recognized as a Next City Vanguard Civic Leader, Ascend Canada’s Mentor of the Year, one of “Tomorrow’s Titans” in Toronto Life magazine, one of WXN’s Top 100 Women in Canadian Business, and most recently recognized as one of the Urban Land Institute’s WLI Champions. Zahra is currently a Board member of the Toronto Arts Council, the Canadian Urban Institute, and Board Chair for Park People. Her work has been featured across international media, and she regularly delivers speaking engagements to audiences across the country.

Twitter / LinkedIn

Karina Winston (she/her)

Lead, Administration & Operations

Karina Winston, Executive Assistant to the co-CEOs at Monumental Projects, plays a pivotal role in managing their email and calendars, while also shaping systems and processes to boost operational efficiency and provide in-depth organizational insights. Her pursuit of a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification complements her affinity for agile methodologies in creative thinking spaces. Leveraging the knowledge gained from her BA in Criminology and Forensic Psychology, along with various project management courses taken throughout her professional career, Karina brings a well-rounded perspective to understanding team dynamics in project environments, adeptly transforming ideas into tangible outcomes. She is proficient in establishing efficient operational systems and adeptly addresses challenges in ever-evolving settings. Beyond Monumental, Karina extends her expertise as a consultant to small businesses and entrepreneurs, fostering their development and growth. Her dedication to devising effective systems and cultivating strong relationships is integral to her contributions to Monumental Projects.

Eunice Wong (they/them)

Lead Researcher, Inclusive City Building

Eunice is an award-winning urban designer, researcher, registered planner, and all-around curious person. As lead researcher at Monumental, Eunice champions equity-centered approaches and analysis, advocates for diverse perspectives, and highlights the power of community voices in the city-building process. Before joining the Monumental team, Eunice brings over 8 years of experience in the industry, most recently at Perkins&Will as an associate and senior urban designer. They bring deep expertise in community engagement, land use planning, public realm design, transportation, and led various research efforts around gender equity, public health, and as host of the Inhabit podcast. Their community-centered approach to their work has been awarded a National Urban Design Award for Community Initiatives, an AIA Canada Award of Merit, a Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence, and an OPPI PlanON Public Education award. Eunice is always thinking about the human experience and opportunities for storytelling, balancing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. They are passionate about intersections—in human identities, between planning and people, urbanism and nature… and literally the design of intersections. Eunice lives in Toronto with their partner and their very silly dog Peanut.

Kofi Hope (he/him)

Co-Founder

Kofi Hope is a Rhodes Scholar and has a Doctorate in Politics from Oxford University. He is the Co-Founder of Monumental. He writes a monthly opinion column for the Toronto Star newspaper and is an Urbanist in Residence at the University of Toronto School of Cities, an emeritus Bousfield Scholar with the Geography and Planning department and a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He serves as a board member for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and has volunteered widely across Toronto. In 2017 he was winner of the Jane Jacobs Prize and in 2018 a Rising Star in Toronto Life’s Power List. Kofi was the co-founder and inaugural Executive Director of the charity the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, now Canada’s largest charity serving Black youth. Kofi has been featured widely across the Canadian media and has delivered over 250 public talks to date.

Twitter / LinkedIn

Keisha St. Louis-McBurnie (she/her)

Lead Strategist, Social Impact

Keisha is an award-winning urban planner, researcher and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. At Monumental, Keisha is our Lead Strategist, Social Impact. In her role, she will grow and apply her knowledge of social equity and value-driven approaches to planning, engagement and community economic development to support civic institutions and the creation of equitable and inclusive communities across Canada. Prior to Monumental, Keisha was an Associate, Urban Planner at Urban Strategies Inc. and has previously held roles with the City of Toronto, the Ontario Cabinet Office, Sidewalk Labs and Social Planning Toronto. Keisha holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Urban Studies with High Distinction, and a Master of Science in Planning both from the University of Toronto. She is also the recipient of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI)’s inaugural PlanON Emerging Leadership Award, as well as a Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) President’s Award. Her thought leadership has been featured in publications including the Journal of Urban Affairs, the Toronto Star, Macleans and Spacing Magazine.