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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.

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.

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.

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 has joined forces with BUILD NOW, a $500-million initiative led by Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region, to help deliver 10,000 new “missing middle” homes by 2030 across the Region of Waterloo. With 70% of these homes set aside for ownership and protected by a legal model that ensures lasting affordability, this is one of Canada’s most ambitious attainable housing efforts to date. 

At the heart of the project is a 25-acre living lab near RIM Park, where FCI researchers will examine how housing design and neighbourhood planning shape lives. Over 40 researchers from all 6 faculties at the University of Waterloo are already involved, bringing expertise in housing futures, urban health, and community resilience. 
 
With home prices in Canada up 77% over the past decade, and most solutions focused on rentals, homeownership is slipping out of reach, especially for younger generations. FCI is working to track what works, share evidence, and help co-create a scalable model for communities nationwide.

What started as an interdisciplinary i-Capstone collaboration has grown into a transformative partnership between the City of Iqaluit and the Future Cities Institute. Faced with complex infrastructure challenges in a harsh Artic environment, the city turned to Waterloo co-op students to bring fresh thinking and technical expertise to the table, and the results have been impactful.  

Engineering student Ahraz Yousuf spent a co-op term in Iqaluit, modernizing the city’s fleet management system. From implementing Fleetio software to building custom tools and leading multi-department training, Yousuf’s work has helped streamline operations and improve service delivery in the North. “I got to build something from the ground up,” he shared. “It allowed me to step outside of the traditional software development and into stakeholder collaboration.” 

This partnership continues to create opportunities for students to apply their skills in meaningful, community-driven projects, advancing real innovation in Canada’s northern cities. 

As Waterloo Region prepares to welcome one million residents by 2050, the Future Cities Institute has partnered with the Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BestWR) to launch the Vision 1 million Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind academic–business collaboration. 
 
This public, data-driven tool tracks the region’s progress across five key areas: housing, transportation, healthcare, employment, and livability. Updated every six months, the scorecard highlights where the region is succeeding and where more focus is needed, helping guide investments and drive meaningful conversations across the region. 

As the academic partner, FCI is grounding the scorecard in data, equity, and long-term impact. With many regions facing similar growth challenges, this model has real potential to scale nationwide, and FCI is proud to help lead the way.

From overlooked parkettes to bustling plazas, Dr. Glover explores how thoughtful design, policy, and programming can turn public spaces into powerful catalysts for connection and community. 

“Placemaking isn’t just about aesthetics - it’s about people, purpose, and possibility,” says Dr. Glover.

A new collaboration between the University of Waterloo and the City of Iqaluit is allowing students to apply their skills to real-world challenges — all while making a tangible difference in the North.