Sybil Wa: Architect (Toronto Star)

The mother of two young daughters, Mei, 5, and Clara, 2, Wa was also attracted to Montgomery Sisam because of the possibility of flexible work hours. "I'm the primary caregiver," she says. "But I want to do interesting work."

It helps that Wa and her husband, financial analyst Adam Parkin, are also committed to living downtown, close to work; they are among the small but growing number of families that make their homes in highrise condos.

"There are more families in our building than ever," she reports. "I founded a Parent Network in my building when my first daughter was born. We share a car with my husband's family."

Wa feels fortunate to be in a profession that can actually do something about the quality of city life and the public realm. She also serves on the Regent Park Revitalization Design Review Panel and was part of a symposium about high-density living organized recently by the city planning department.

"Architects have participated in the creation of a lot of our problems," she declares. "But now we're starting to think about the quality of the street. I think it's important to be optimistic."

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