On The Naked Brand we are always talking about Brands in some shape or form. As the pandemic thunders on the subject of brands are starting to become more mainstream. Why Brands are important? Why People are Brands? How Brands help bring people together through creating culture. And a topic that I’m planning to have multiple episodes on... Why Branding is important now more than ever! In this episode we focus on Why brands are more important than ever... when it comes to Building Cities. We can’t discuss city building without tackling Gentrification and Nimbyism. To delve deep into this topic the Naked brand welcomes Lanrick Bennett Jr., the Managing Director of 8 80 Cities. Lanrick held previous positions as the Hub Manager at Artscape Wychwood Barns, Regional Advisor in the Ontario Provincial Government and Education Officer at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. As an advocate for social programs, Lanrick was one half of #JacksLibraryTour, where he and his 5-year-old son visited all 100 Toronto Public Libraries using public transit. He is a year-round urban cyclist who champions protected cycling infrastructure in multiple forms. Taking a page out of his improv training with the Second City, he celebrates the concept of “Yes, And,” which will enable him to keep moving the concepts of 8 80 Cities forward.