Cities drive the global economy and are home to vibrant and diverse communities. Yet, they’re also facing complex challenges that impact urban life. From rising housing costs, aging infrastructure, climate change, the disruptive impacts of technology and an aging population, the need for expertise, capacity-building and applied tools to address these overlapping issues has never been higher.
The Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN is leading this bold mission.
FCI will bring the University of Waterloo’s exceptional strengths in applied science and engineering, interdisciplinary research, work-integrated learning, partnership building and academic programming to the field of city building. By bringing together key experts from across the University, the FCI will deliver programming, develop tools, and foster relationships among industry, government, academia and communities that lead to tangible outcomes for Canadian and global cities.
These strategic efforts will enable the FCI to build capacity, answer research problems and mobilize knowledge to identify equitable and sustainable solutions to the problems growing cities face.
A message from the founders
"To drive prosperity, we need decisive leadership that’s equipped with the right arsenal of tools. If cities are to thrive in the future, we need objective and dynamic thinking. Housing access and affordability, the skilled-labour shortage, and the changing nature of retail are just a few of the pressing issues that are upending planning orthodoxy.
The Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN will bring together industry, government, and a variety of academic minds across faculties to collaborate and come up with solutions that make a real difference in the world. To do that, we will harness science and technology and leverage STEM advances to identify clear desired outcomes for our communities that are tangible, exciting, and powerful. We hope others will join us in our quest for a more prosperous, healthy, and sustainable future for all. There has never been a more urgent time to act."
- Frank Cairo and Troy van Haastrecht, co-founders and CEOs of the Caivan Group
The University of Waterloo and Caivan launched FCI thanks to a transformational $10-million donation from Caivan. The large-scale real estate development company is one of Ontario’s largest and is active in more than 50 communities. Through its subsidiary, the Advanced Building Innovation Company, Caivan is an industry leader, harnessing software engineering, including AI systems, automation and optimization tools, in the development and construction of its communities. The company is committed to volume-oriented sustainability while meaningfully tackling the housing affordability crisis.