Women Led Cities Initiative cofounder Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman makes the BBC’s 100 Women list

Broadcast network BBC released its annual 100 Women list this week, and Philadelphia-based urbanist Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman was named as a champion in the “Earth” category.

This year’s list addresses the question, “What would the future look like if it were driven by women?”

Johnston-Zimmerman celebrated the news on Twitter, saying that she will be speaking in London Thursday at the network’s first of two international Future Conferences.

I am so honored to be a part of this year’s @BBC100women list! Tomorrow I’ll be speaking here in London on the future of cities by and for women at the big event. Pinching myself! #peoplenotcars #womenledcities #thefutureisfemale @LindyInstitute @LeadershipPhila https://t.co/sdjHGdFyPZ

— Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman (@think_katrina) October 16, 2019

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The events we will bring together women who are experts in their fields “working at the cutting edge of science, arts, media, economics, education, fashion, religion, identity and many other areas,” the network said in a statement. They will discuss what they believe the world will look like in 2030 in their areas of expertise.

Johnston-Zimmerman was named for her work cofounding The Women Led Cities Initiative, which aims to bring women’s voices to the forefront of urban planning and design. She’s also the founder of THINK.urban consulting firm and works as a project manager for Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation.

“The future of our cities is female because it has to be,” Johnston-Zimmerman’s profile on the BBC site says. “Without a greater level of diversity, through women’s input and impact on our urban environments, we are at an impasse for the future of these, our manufactured habitats.”

Also in the “Earth” category: Greta Thunberg and Autumn Peltier, the two 15-year-old climate change and clean water activists who caught international attention when they spoke at last month’s UN climate action summit.

Yasmine Mustafa, the Philly-based cofounder of B2B startup ROAR for Good, was named to the list in 2016.