News

Data that could strengthen homelessness policies across Canada is often fragmented and difficult for decision-makers to navigate. To address this gap, FCI Director Dr. Leia Minaker has received SSHRC funding to advance CivicInquire, Canada's first intersectional, AI-powered platform dedicated to homelessness policy. By combining machine learning, web crawling, and key informant interviews, CivicInquire transforms disparate policy data into an interactive national database and visualization tool. The platform equips municipal leaders, planners, and community advocates with practical, evidence-backed insights to guide local decision-making.

Researchers and network partners connected with the Future Cities Institute have secured new SSHRC funding to advance data-backed climate resilience and municipal policy tools. Spanning municipal net-zero implementation, property-level flood risk intelligence, virtual reality disaster planning, and international cyclone adaptation, these newly funded initiatives demonstrate how academic research turns into usable, real-world tools for city builders.

Replacing assumptions with evidence is essential as Waterloo Region plans for one million residents. The updated Vision 1 Million Scorecard, co-released by FCI and BestWR, provides a practical snapshot of regional readiness across housing, transit, healthcare, and infrastructure. By measuring concrete progress and highlighting critical gaps in community support, this tool equips municipal leaders, industry partners, and residents with the data needed to guide transparent, long-term planning decisions.

Master of Future Cities student Johanna B. secured Best Idea honors at the Brookfield Renewable Innovation Challenge. Bringing a systems-thinking lens to the Pearl Sullivan Engineering IDEAs Clinic, Johanna’s interdisciplinary team designed an on-campus waste-to-energy organics digester and biogas generator. By turning local campus organic waste into methane fuel for central heating operations, the concept delivers immediate waste management savings while establishing a practical, scalable building block for campus-wide district energy planning and long-term net-zero targets.

BUILD NOW: Waterloo Region has officially broken ground on Union 1, an 85-unit non-profit rental building at 2025 University Avenue East. As the academic partner for this initiative, the Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN will study the project closely to document what works, what doesn't, and how different sectors can successfully build together at this scale.

The Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN partnered with Velocity to host the Future Cities Innovation Challenge. The high-intensity, two-week sprint brought interdisciplinary student teams together to build data-backed business concepts targeting the Canadian housing crisis, modern infrastructure demands, and municipal service systems.

The Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN sponsored lunch at the Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) meeting in Waterloo. Connecting with over 65 mayors, Chief Administrative Officers, and policy staff from across the province, Director Dr. Leia Minaker presented the institute’s applied research capabilities and work-integrated student programs designed to tackle pressing, real-world municipal challenges.

At a recent event co-hosted by the University of Waterloo and TD Wealth, members of the Waterloo community gathered for a powerful conversation on Shaping Cities of the Future: Women, Leadership & Philanthropy.  

Moderated by Leia Minaker, our Director at the Future Cities Institute, the discussion highlighted the vital role women play in financial leadership and philanthropy. Leia guided a rich conversation that emphasized the value of trust-based giving, the power of intentional investment, and the many forms philanthropy can take, whether it be time, ideas, or financial support. 

Congratulations to Dr. David C. Del Rey Fernández on being named Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new Industry-Sponsored Research Chair in Industrial AI! 🎉 As an Assistant Professor in Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and a valued member of the Future Cities Institute, David's interdisciplinary research will drive innovation at the intersection of AI, computational mathematics, and sustainable aeronautics.

Look, it’s us! The Future Cities Institute is officially making waves in Waterloo News!

We’re here to help local governments (and others!) build better cities by bringing together global thinkers, industry leaders, and researchers to tackle today’s biggest urban challenges, on everything from housing, climate, infrastructure, and beyond. Our goal? Healthy, prosperous cities that are resilient, inclusive, and built for the future.

Read more about us and how we’re shaping tomorrow’s cities in hashtagUWaterloo news: https://bit.ly/4goIfoa