The University of Waterloo’s Future Cities Institute (FCI) founded by CAIVAN advances pragmatic, data-driven solutions with cities and communities by incubating interdisciplinary talent and tools. We are evidence-based, politically agnostic, and measured by what we do, not what we say.
News
Why Water, Primary Care, and Child Care Unlock Everything Else
On October 1st, the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce hosted Vision 1 Million: Healthcare at the Delta Waterloo, where FCI Director Dr. Leia Minaker presented the second update to the Vision 1 Million Scorecard. Produced by BestWR and FCI, the scorecard grades 28 metrics to assess whether Waterloo Region is ready to grow to one million residents. Minaker walked the room through what has improved, what is lagging, and what is holding steady. She then narrowed the field to three priorities: water, primary care, and child care. Progress on those three, she argued, would unlock progress across several other domains at once. She later joined Chamber President and CEO Ian McLean for a fireside chat. The next scorecard update arrives in January.
Fees, Taxes, and Supply: Frank Cairo on Ottawa's Sub-$300,000 Townhomes
In September, CAIVAN began selling townhomes in Ottawa's west end for less than $300,000. On The Graham Richardson Show, co-founder and CEO Frank Cairo explained how. He pointed first to government relief on fees and taxes, including the expanded HST rebate and Ottawa's lower development charges, then to CAIVAN's own cost-cutting across manufacturing, land development, and home building. He was also candid about the limits. Without steady new supply for years to come, he said, prices could again climb beyond what buyers can afford. CAIVAN is the founding donor of the Future Cities Institute (FCI), which had no part in the project.
UW Students Build Mapping Tool for Kitchener Public Library
As Kitchener continues to grow, public service providers face the ongoing challenge of deciding where new infrastructure and programs are needed most. Over the summer term, University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment planning students Miki Zheng and Alexa R. partnered with Kitchener Public Library, FCI Director Dr. Leia Minaker, and FCI Member Dr. Rob Feick to build an evidence-backed decision tool. Using ArcGIS overlay analysis, the team mapped three factors against each other: projected population growth, and deprivation measured two ways, once through the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation, and once through EQAO test scores. What came out of the project is a framework KPL can use to test locations, including options like the automated library lockers already running at local community centres.
