The Future Cities Insitute (FCI), a partnership between the University of Waterloo and the Caivan Group, is committed to building prosperous future cities.
Caivan, a Canadian real-estate developer co-founded by Waterloo alumni Troy van Haastrecht (BASc ’93, civil engineering) and Frank Cairo (BES ’05) donated $10 million to establish the institute.
At the FCI launch event, Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering, discussed the challenges facing cities today and the need for futures-thinking interventions with Cairo; Dr. Vivek Goel, Waterloo’s president and vice-chancellor; Bruce Frayne, dean of the Faculty of Environment and Dr. Leia Minaker, associate professor in the School of Planning and the inaugural director of the FCI.
“The Future Cities Institute will provide an exceptional space for knowledge sharing, ensuring that future urban-planning leaders are equipped with the knowledge and skillsets to tackle our cities’ toughest problems,” said Wells.
Complex issues from the rising cost of housing, aging infrastructure and climate change to the disruptive impacts of technology call for urgent, innovative solutions. The FCI will connect across the University to train future leaders and develop plans and toolkits for building resilient future cities.
“The Future Cities Institute is an example of aligning our academic and research strengths across disciplines to make the most impact on the field of future city building,” said Goel.
"It brings together our exceptional strengths in applied science and engineering, interdisciplinary research, work-integrated learning, partnership building and academic programming to the field of city building.”
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