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 D...

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 w...

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 si...

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...

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 aut...

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 milli...

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