Community by Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region

Midtown Radio

Community By Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region is a 5-episode podcast series that takes you on a tour of some of the most critical social infrastructure in Waterloo Region, where creative connectors are using everyday spaces—libraries, schools, public squares—to build belonging and social connection. Through conversations with a variety of community builders, this show reveals how intentional design and grassroots ingenuity are weaving a stronger social fabric across our communities. Produced by Midtown Radio and supported by the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, each episode uncovers the inspiring ways ordinary people are creating extraordinary connections in the places we gather, learn, and grow together.

Episodes

  1. 3D AGO

    Won’t You Be My Neighbour

    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 GUESTS Kim Fowler, Executive Director of Fiddlesticks Community Centre Chanelle Martin, Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator at Fiddlesticks Community Centre Sam Nabi, Coordinator of One Million Neighbours ADDITIONAL RESOURCES One Million Neighbours website Fiddlesticks website Waterloo Region Community Foundation’s work on social infrastructure CREDITS Jay Harrison, Host/Producer/Editor Karyn Atkins, Writer/Reporter Deren Atkins, Editor David Harmes, Executive Producer/Engineer MUSIC  courtesy of Epidemic Sound Main theme music - Rocket Jr: High Tech Transition 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 content @midtownradiokw midtownradio.ca  Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

    42 min

  2. FEB 7

    Do You Hear What I Hear: Local Media

    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 GUESTS Mirko Petricevic, Chief Ink-stigator (co-ordinator) of Ink-stained wretches Irene Schmidt-Adeney, Writer at Ayr News Sue Foxton, Mayor of North Dumfries ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Resources for supporting local journalism from the Ink-stained Wretches website Ayr News CREDITS Jay Harrison, Host/Producer/Editor Karyn Atkins, Writer Deren Atkins, Editor David Harmes, Executive Producer/Engineer MUSIC  courtesy of Epidemic Sound Main theme music - Rocket Jr: High Tech Transition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level Up This show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.  Follow Midtown Radio for more local content @midtownradiokw midtownradio.ca  Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

    32 min

  3. JAN 31

    I Can Tell That We Are Going to Be Friends: Schools as Havens

    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 GUESTS Laura Mae Lindo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Director of Black Studies at the University of Waterloo Quinn Palmer, Student leader in the GSA at Waterloo Collegiate Institute Taarini Chopra, Parent at King Edward Public School ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Waterloo Region District School Board student census CREDITS Jay Harrison, Host/Producer/Editor Karyn Atkins, Writer/Reporter Deren Atkins, Editor David Harmes, Executive Producer/Engineer MUSIC  courtesy of Epidemic Sound Main theme music - Rocket Jr: High Tech Transition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level Up This show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.  Follow Midtown Radio for more local content @midtownradiokw midtownradio.ca  Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

    30 min

  4. JAN 24

    Meet Me at the Square

    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 GUESTS Ryan Lok, PhD Candidate at the University of Waterloo School of Planning Jeyas Balaskanthan, Executive Director of the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area Scott Higgins, President of HIP Developments Sheri Roberts, City of Cambridge Councilor for Ward 2 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Uptown Waterloo BIA Gaslight District CREDITS Jay Harrison, Host/Producer Karyn Atkins, Writer Deren Atkins, Editor Shrijith Ramaswami, Editor David Harmes, Executive Producer/Engineer MUSIC  courtesy of Epidemic Sound Main theme music - Rocket Jr: High Tech Transition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level Up This show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

    30 min

  5. JAN 17

    More Than Books: Building Community at the Library

    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 GUESTS Troy Glover, Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo Nathan Stretch, Senior Manager of Community Development and Insights at Kitchener Public Library Cristina McLaren, Manager of Library Services for the Region of Waterloo Libraries ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Waterloo Region Community Foundation’s 2025 Vital Signs report Gehl Institute report on social infrastructure ActivateYourNeighbourhood.ca  CREDITS Jay Harrison, Host/Producer Karyn Atkins, Writer/Reporter Deren Atkins, Editor Shrijith Ramaswami, Editor David Harmes, Executive Producer/Engineer MUSIC  courtesy of Epidemic Sound Main theme music - Rocket Jr: High Tech Transition music - Par Hagstrom: Snakes and Fire (Instrumental Version), and Loyae: Level Up This show was made possible by the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.  Follow Midtown Radio for more local content @midtownradiokw midtownradio.ca  Download the Midtown Radio app to listen live and on-demand

    42 min

  6. JAN 1

    Community by Design: Trailer (what is Social Infrastructure?)

    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

    1 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Community By Design: Exploring Social Infrastructure in Waterloo Region is a 5-episode podcast series that takes you on a tour of some of the most critical social infrastructure in Waterloo Region, where creative connectors are using everyday spaces—libraries, schools, public squares—to build belonging and social connection. Through conversations with a variety of community builders, this show reveals how intentional design and grassroots ingenuity are weaving a stronger social fabric across our communities. Produced by Midtown Radio and supported by the Waterloo Region Community Foundation, each episode uncovers the inspiring ways ordinary people are creating extraordinary connections in the places we gather, learn, and grow together.

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