How to sustain spaces of peace and non-violence is a central concern of many refugee and immigrant groups arriving in their adopted homelands. Because these groups may have fled war-torn countries; political oppression; or economic, social or cultural hardships, the sustenance of community cohesion, everyday living, and the negotiation of life itself are paramount. The role of public spaces and institutions in host societies builds on the notion of nimmathi, the Tamil term for "peace." In order to understand marginalized groups' perceptions of public spaces and institutions, and the ways in which these perceptions diverge from mainstream uses and expectations, this paper explores the everyday practices, friendships and relationships, and barriers and struggles faced by new immigrant and refugee communities. The communities we are working with are predominantly new immigrants and refugees of South Asian, African, Caribbean, and Latin American origin, and their service providers. Of particular interest are the strategies and tactics that marginalized groups resort to, to redefine the meanings and uses of various kinds of public spaces. Building on census data gathered for neighbourhoods across the city of Toronto, we present some focus group results that offer a particularly powerful and critical perspective on the way spaces are defined and imagined. Community participants' knowledge and use of the city was highly localized, with service agencies providing an essential anchor and rootedness to associational relationships and ties to the city. Access and mobility were repeatedly raised by participants as key factors influencing choices of where it was safe and comfortable to go. Community members use available resources to counter the isolation and exclusion they feel, but their access and mobility are nevertheless affected by insufficient built infrastructure (e.g., public transit, facilities) and by personal discomfort and social boundaries. The knowledge provided by participants has led us to rethink the nature of the policy recommendations that would address these issues of access and mobility. Specifically, we need to reconsider the role of personal and emotional connections in underpinning successful networks (such as by establishing trust), and the community mobilization necessary to create sustainable and socially just public spaces--towards what communities envision as a City of Nimmathi.