What turns a space into a place—and how can strangers build community together?

Host, Shannon Knelsen brings together two complementary perspectives on how community connection is created through everyday spaces, repeated encounters and shared experiences.

Dr. Troy Glover, professor at the University of Waterloo and director of the Healthy Communities Research Network, discusses his research on social infrastructure and the Waterloo Region Community Foundation’s Vital Ideas: Social Infrastructure and Places report. Mouna Andraos, co-founder of Montreal art and design studio Daily tous les jours, explores how playful and participatory public experiences can invite strangers to interact.

Together, Troy and Mouna examine why loneliness can be better understood through the lens of isolation, how spaces acquire meaning, and what encourages people to return, participate and develop a sense of belonging. Troy provides the research and community-building framework, while Mouna demonstrates what those ideas can look like when brought to life through art and design.

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THANKS TO OUR GUESTS:

Dr. Troy Glover, professor at the University of Waterloo and director of the Healthy Communities Research Network

Mouna Andraos, co-founder of Montreal art and design studio Daily tous les jours

CREDITS:

Shannon Knelsen, Host / Producer / Editor

Shrijith Ramaswami, Post-production Editor

Deren Atkins, Distribution Manager

David Harmes, Executive Producer / Audio 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.

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 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.

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