News

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. 

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. 

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. 

The City of Kitchener and the University of Waterloo have announced a four-year research partnership to assess the municipality’s natural gas infrastructure and plan for future demand, with FCI cluster lead David C. Del Rey Fernández at the helm. 

This first-of-its-kind partnership will model Kitchener’s natural gas infrastructure using digital twin technology to explore how shifting energy demands could shape the future of municipal utilities.

As part of FCI’s national series of Think Tanks taking place across Canada, November’s event in Toronto brought together leaders focused on unlocking new pathways for private investment in housing and related infrastructure. The conversation was sharp, honest, and filled with insight that directly connects to FCI’s research, training, and partnerships. 

Participants dug into the shared barriers slowing private capital, from permitting challenges to fragmented policy frameworks, and explored the opportunities that could shift the landscape. They were generous in naming what is working, what is not, and what needs to change if Canada is going to compete globally. 

Several themes quickly emerged: the importance of predictable decision-making, clearer alignment across levels of government, and a readiness to test new financing structures that have had success outside Canada. The energy in the room underscored that there is real, urgent momentum behind this work. 

These insights will shape several concrete projects currently underway at FCI. This is exactly the kind of collaborative, solution-oriented dialogue that continues to propel the organization’s mission forward. 

Members of the Future Cities Institute joined a roundtable with the David Johnston Research + Technology Park leadership team to help shape the new strategic plan and district design for the University of Waterloo’s North Campus. Representatives from the Faculties of Environment, Health, Mathematics, and Engineering participated in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the campus, exploring how North Campus can better connect students with emerging industries, community partners, and opportunities for collaborative innovation. 

For the Future Cities Institute, the session reflects an important part of our mission. While FCI regularly connects students and researchers with industry, government, and nonprofit partners beyond the university, the conversation highlighted the impact the Institute can have on campus itself.  FCI is determined to create time, space, and support for faculty and students to work across disciplines, shaping not only future cities but also the future of Waterloo. 

The Future Cities Institute was in attendance on October 15, 2025, at Bold Urban Futures: How to Build Healthier, More Resilient Communities, a packed evening of dialogue, connection and future-focused thinking in downtown Vancouver. 

Hosted at the TELUS Garden and part of the University of Waterloo’s Global Futures series, this special event brought together city-builders, University of Waterloo Alumni and partners working at the edge of change. 

FCI Director, Dr. Leia Minaker, joined an inspiring speaker lineup alongside Lisa Helps (Executive Lead, BC Builds at BC Housing) and Dr. Joyce Kim (Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Cluster Lead on Housing at FCI) to explore how collaboration, innovation and evidence can help reimagine Canadian urban life. 

In a CBC News story, a CEO invites the community to help reimagine a mall in Saint John, New Brunswick, and turns to research voices like Pierre Filion, Master of Future Cities instructor and Waterloo emeritus professor, to unpack the urban questions behind this challenge. 

Pierre’s insights draw from his research on the decline of urban malls and their attempts to reinvent themselves. His perspective reminds us that thriving city centres depend not just on buildings, but on the people who fill them, residents, students, workers, and visitors shaping vibrant urban ecosystems.

FCI member Dr. Peter Crank has been awarded $78,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund to support infrastructure for his new research project: Addressing urban (over)heating in a warming climate.
 
Through this project, Peter and supporting researchers, including FCI Director Dr. Leia Minaker, will generate critical data to help Canadian cities understand and reduce the health risks associated with rising urban temperatures. 
 
Their work will explore key links between: 
- Extreme urban heat and human health 
- Urban air quality and health outcomes 
- Urban green space and cooling potential 

The University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment welcomed Sir Andrew Steer as the 2025 TD Walter Bean Professor in Environment, bringing decades of global insight to a packed lecture on the future of our cities, communities, and ecosystems. The lecture was presented as part of the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo at 100 vision and in partnership with the Future Cities Institute. 

Following the lecture, FCI Director Dr. Leia Minaker moderated a wide-ranging conversation on the scale of the climate challenge and the opportunities for action across sectors.