Masooma is an urban planner, city builder and multi-disciplinary creative with a background in policy and design, based in Toronto, Canada.
She holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in City Studies, Public Policy and Urban Governance from the University of Toronto and a Master of Planning Degree from Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning with research focused on transit equity and smart technologies. She is an advocate of inclusion and spatial equity in planning and community development in Toronto.
With both private and public experience, she has worked for Hemson Consulting in Toronto and NYC’s Department of City Planning. Along with studio project experience working onsite in the Northwest Territories with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and Together Design Lab for a housing strategy and in Sardinia, Italy working on a social planning strategy as part of a mine remediation plan the Centre for Biocultural Landscape and Seascape at the University of Sassari. She is currently an urban planner at Urban Strategies, a global urban design and planning consultancy based in Toronto and a mentor for The Wave Art Collective’s Wave Fellowship Program which provides youth with resources, mentorship, and entrepreneurial skills to learn photography, digital media or music skills in Scarborough.
As a creative, Masooma Ali has established her work by centering around photo and film. Honing her craft for over a decade, she has previously created work for the Senate of Canada, City of Toronto, publications, artists and several fashion brands.
Her focus and personal interest lie in the planning, design and development of cities. Beyond planning, she aims to bring her two passions together with the hopes of cultivating environments and resources that help equip other young creatives, specifically those of minority backgrounds.
