The University of Waterloo’s Future Cities Institute (FCI) founded by CAIVAN brings together a global network of interdisciplinary researchers from a variety of fields, industry leaders, practitioners, students and community members to develop new tools and approaches for building healthy and prosperous cities.
Help shape the Vision 1 Million Scorecard
We’re working to make the BestWR Vision 1 Million Scorecard a powerful tool for understanding how ready our region is for a population of one million. We need your insights on critical areas like housing, transportation, health, employment, and livability; where are we prepared, and where do we need to improve?
Your feedback is confidential and will directly inform updates to the scorecard. Thank you for helping us build a better, more resilient future.
Fostering – We promote the integration of research, teaching, and knowledge mobilization to drive innovative city and community solutions.
Healthy – We embrace a One Health approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, environmental, and planetary well-being.
Prosperous – We create the conditions for communities to thrive socially and economically by fostering employment, innovation, education, and inclusive growth that benefits citizens.
Future – We explore multiple plausible futures, not just preferred ones, ensuring adaptable and resilient city and community strategies.
Cities and Communities – We engage with municipalities and Indigenous communities to collaboratively shape sustainable development.
News
“The Future is Now, so What are We Building?”
At the BE*SPOKE Festival in the Township of Centre Wellington, conversations about climate resilience, urban systems, and community leadership moved beyond abstract policy debates and into something more tangible. Organized by GreenLanes, the festival created space for municipalities, practitioners, and community leaders to engage deeply with the realities of climate change, and the choices communities must make in response. The Future Cities Institute was proud to be part of that conversation through the work of FCI member and Academic Director Nadine Ibrahim, whose talk, “The Future Is Now, So What Are We Building?”, set the tone for the day.
Inside the FCI Land Development Bootcamp and the BUILD NOW Conversation
The pace of change in Canada’s housing landscape is accelerating, but the systems that shape how housing gets built often fall behind. Approvals take years. Cost climbing. Entire segments of housing, especially family-sized, attainable ownership options, are increasingly absent from the market. Against this backdrop, the Future Cities Institute convened the Land Development Bootcamp as both a learning space and a signal: preparing the next generation of planners and practitioners requires confronting these realities head-on.
Taking Stock of Growth: What the Updated Vision 1 Million Scorecard Reveals About Waterloo Region’s Readiness
As Waterloo Region continues to plan for long-term population growth, one question looms large: are the systems that support daily life ready for what comes next? In January, the Future Cities Institute (FCI), alongside BESTWR, released an updated Vision 1 Million Scorecard, offering a data-driven snapshot of how prepared the region is to grow toward a population of one million residents in the coming decades. By framing the analysis this way, the tool invites decision-makers to think proactively rather than reactively, highlighting where current trajectories may fall short and where strategic intervention could have the greatest impact.
Events
BRAVE x FCI Hackathon
The BRAVE Hackathon returns on March 22, bringing students together for a fast paced day of collaboration, creativity, and problem solving focused on the future of cities. Participants will work in teams to explore bold ideas at the intersection of technology, policy, design, and community needs, developing practical concepts that respond to real urban challenges. Whether you are a coder, designer, researcher, or big picture thinker, this hackathon is an opportunity to test ideas, build new skills, and connect with others who are shaping what cities can become. More details coming soon.
I-Capstone Symposium 2026
Join us for the 2026 i-Capstone Symposium. This annual event showcases the innovative work of fourth-year students from diverse disciplines as they tackle real-world urban challenges in collaboration with industry and community partners.
Explore interdisciplinary projects, engage with students, and witness the future of cities come to life through innovative research and design. Whether you're a student, industry professional, faculty member, or community partner, this is a unique opportunity to connect with the next generation of change-makers.
We look forward to seeing you there!
