Community by Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region

To celebrate the release of the Community Design Podcast, Midtown Radio partnered with the Waterloo Region Community Foundation and the Kitchener Public Library to host a community conversation on January 22nd, in the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) theater. Over 120 community members joined us for a conversation about the importance of social infrastructure in the Waterloo Region. Host Danielle Deveau was joined by Jay Harrison, Producer and Host for Community by Design, Nathan Stretch, Senior Manager of Community Development and INsights at the Kitchener Public Library, and Jeyas Balaskanthan, Executive Director at the Uptown Waterloo BIA. Here is a recording of the event, starting with an introduction from Eric Avner, President and CEO at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. 

As Waterloo Region grows toward one million people, this episode reveals why some of the most crucial social infrastructure isn't built from the top down, but grows from the ground up—where residents identify their own needs, youth are trusted as leaders today (not tomorrow), and neighborhoods become dense enough with connection to create a safety net for those who need it. Through conversations with a veteran community center director, and the cross-sector One Million Neighbours project, we discover how the neighborhood scale is the site of some of our most critical social infrastructure.THANKS TO OUR GUESTSKim Fowler, Executive Director of Fiddlesticks Community CentreChanelle Martin, Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator at Fiddlesticks Community CentreSam Nabi, Coordinator of One Million NeighboursADDITIONAL RESOURCESOne Million Neighbours websiteFiddlesticks websiteWaterloo Region Community Foundation’s work on social infrastructureCREDITSJay Harrison, Host/Producer/EditorKaryn Atkins, Writer/ReporterDeren Atkins, EditorDavid Harmes, Executive Producer/EngineerMUSIC courtesy of Epidemic SoundMain theme music - Rocket Jr: High TechTransition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level Up,  Loving Caliber: Lose (Instrumental Version) This show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Follow Midtown Radio for more local [email protected] Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

When a local newspaper investigation saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, it's more than just good journalism—it's infrastructure in action. In this episode, we explore how local media serves as part of the connective tissue of community life, from holding power accountable to helping you connect with the people in your community. But with over 600 news outlets closing across Canada since 2008, we ask: what happens when the ties that bind us together start to unravel?THANKS TO OUR GUESTSMirko Petricevic, Chief Ink-stigator (co-ordinator) of Ink-stained wretchesIrene Schmidt-Adeney, Writer at Ayr NewsSue Foxton, Mayor of North DumfriesADDITIONAL RESOURCESResources for supporting local journalism from the Ink-stained Wretches websiteAyr NewsCREDITSJay Harrison, Host/Producer/EditorKaryn Atkins, WriterDeren Atkins, EditorDavid Harmes, Executive Producer/EngineerMUSIC courtesy of Epidemic SoundMain theme music - Rocket Jr: High TechTransition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level UpThis show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Follow Midtown Radio for more local [email protected] Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

From students organizing delegations at school board meetings to parents building audio libraries in 28 languages, this episode reveals the simple and profound ways that schools act as social infrastructure. In this episode, we meet Quinn, a high school student co-leading a local Gender Sexuality Alliance who knows that community can literally save lives, and Taarini, a parent who helped to create a program for connecting newcomer families across cultural and linguistic barriers at her children’s school. Through powerful conversations with education expert Laura Mae Lindo, we discover that schools aren't just buildings where learning happens—they're landing places where young people and families are creating havens of belonging, one story, one connection, one act of care at a time.THANKS TO OUR GUESTSLaura Mae Lindo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of Black Studies at the University of WaterlooQuinn Palmer, Student leader in the GSA at Waterloo Collegiate InstituteTaarini Chopra, Parent at King Edward Public SchoolADDITIONAL RESOURCESWaterloo Region District School Board student censusCREDITSJay Harrison, Host/Producer/EditorKaryn Atkins, Writer/ReporterDeren Atkins, EditorDavid Harmes, Executive Producer/EngineerMUSIC courtesy of Epidemic SoundMain theme music - Rocket Jr: High TechTransition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level UpThis show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Follow Midtown Radio for more local [email protected] Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

Public squares have been gathering places for thousands of years, but do they truly serve everyone in today's increasingly diverse communities? This episode explores two very different town squares in Waterloo Region – Waterloo Town Square and the Gaslight District – to understand what makes these spaces work, revealing that while public squares can help people encounter difference, they don't automatically create belonging or deep understanding. Making them truly inclusive requires thoughtful design, intentional programming, and grappling with difficult questions about who belongs in public space. As our region grows toward one million people and housing becomes less affordable, these free gathering spaces aren't just nice to have - they're essential infrastructure for the human spirit.THANKS TO OUR GUESTSRyan Lok, PhD Candidate at the University of Waterloo School of PlanningJeyas Balaskanthan, Executive Director of the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement AreaScott Higgins, President of HIP DevelopmentsSheri Roberts, City of Cambridge Councilor for Ward 2ADDITIONAL RESOURCESUptown Waterloo BIAGaslight DistrictCREDITSJay Harrison, Host/ProducerKaryn Atkins, WriterDeren Atkins, EditorShrijith Ramaswami, EditorDavid Harmes, Executive Producer/EngineerMUSIC courtesy of Epidemic SoundMain theme music - Rocket Jr: High TechTransition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level UpThis show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

Local expert Troy Glover shows us why social infrastructure is the invisible glue that holds a community together. Through the lens of public libraries, this episode uncovers how these everyday spaces are actually "palaces for people," quietly helping to transform strangers into neighbors and isolated individuals into thriving communities. As Waterloo Region grows toward becoming home to one million people by 2050, this episode asks a crucial question: will we invest in the social infrastructure that turns a growing population into a connected community, or will we let our social fabric fray?THANKS TO OUR GUESTSTroy Glover, Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of WaterlooNathan Stretch, Senior Manager of Community Development and Insightsat Kitchener Public LibraryCristina McLaren, Manager of Library Services for the Region of Waterloo LibrariesADDITIONAL RESOURCESWaterloo Region Community Foundation’s 2025 Vital Signs reportGehl Institute report on social infrastructureActivateYourNeighbourhood.ca CREDITSJay Harrison, Host/ProducerKaryn Atkins, Writer/ReporterDeren Atkins, EditorShrijith Ramaswami, EditorDavid Harmes, Executive Producer/EngineerMUSIC courtesy of Epidemic SoundMain theme music - Rocket Jr: High TechTransition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level UpThis show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Follow Midtown Radio for more local [email protected] Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

Join host, Jay Harrison, for a five-part series on social infrastructure in Waterloo Region. Starting January 17, 2026 you can tune in to Midtown Radio (midtownradio.ca) on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00am ET to listen along with your neighbours. Follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to catch up with past episodes.  Music from Rocket Jr. courtesy of Epidemic Sound