Below you will find a list of sources referenced in Waterloo Region Community Foundation’s 2026 Vital Ideas Report on Social Infrastructure and Places. If you have any questions about the information shared, please reach out to us at info@wrcf.ca.

Citations from the article From Space to Place: Designing for Connection in Waterloo Region by Dr. Troy Glover:

1. Gehl report. https://www.gehlpeople.com/knowledge-hub/publications/social-infrastructure-connecting-people-and-places-for-thriving-communities/

2. YMCA GTA. (2024, September 16). Six in ten Canadians surveyed have little or no sense of community. https://www.ymcagta.org/news/Six-in-Ten-Canadians-Surveyed-Have-Little-or-No-Sense-of-Community

3. Statistics Canada. (2022). Census profile, 2021 Census of population: Waterloo, Regional municipality (RM), Ontario. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm‍ ‍

4. Social Capital Research - What is Bonding Social Capital? https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/what-is-bonding-social-capital/‍ ‍

5. Social Capital Research - What is Bridging Social Capital? https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/what-is-bridging-social-capital/

6. Centre Sanaaq. https://montreal.ca/en/places/centre-sanaaq

7. Lofland, L. H. (2017). The public realm: Exploring the city's quintessential social territory. Routledge.

8. Kitchener Market. https://www.kitchenermarket.ca/

9. Rishbeth, C., Ganji, F., & Vodicka, G. (2018). Ethnographic understandings of ethnically diverse neighbourhoods to inform urban design practice. Local Environment, 23(1), 36–53.

10. Statistics Canada. (2024, December 3). Barriers to accessibility in Canada: Public spaces, 2022. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/241203/dq241203a-eng.htm

11. Ridings, J., & Chitrakar, R. M. (2021). Urban design frameworks, user activities and public tendencies in Brisbane’s urban squares. Urban Design International, 26(3), 272–288.

12. Anderson, J., Ruggeri, K., Steemers, K., & Huppert, F. (2017). Lively social space, well-being activity, and urban design: Findings from a low-cost community-led public space intervention. Environment and Behavior, 49(6), 685–716.

Sources from By the Numbers:

• Faith & the Common Good. (2020). No space for community: The value of faith buildings and congregations in Ontario. https://faithcommongood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/No_Space_for_Community-compressed.pdf and Canadian Urban Institute (2025) Sacred Spaces Civic Value. Making the Case for the Future of Faith-Built Assets. https://canurb.org/publications/sacred-spaces-civic-value/

• Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. (2025). Measuring impact of sport, physical activity and recreation. https://cflri.ca/

• Canadian Urban Institute. (2024, May). A jump start: Providing infrastructure for more housing [Report]. https://canurb.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Jump-Start.pdf

• Ontario Library Service - Annual Survey of Public Libraries.https://www.urbanlibraries.org/files/2025-Library-Insights-Report.pdf

• YMCA Canada. (2024, September 16). Six in ten Canadians surveyed have little or no sense of community, new YMCA research reveals. https://ymca.ca/en/news-stories/press-release/six-in-ten-canadians-surveyed-have-little-or-no-sense-of-community-new-ymca-research-reveals

• Bentway / University of Toronto – Rx for Social Connection. https://thebentway.ca/news/new-bentway-report-shows-how-public-spaces-reduce-urban-loneliness/

• YMCA Canada. (2024, September 16). Six in ten Canadians surveyed have little or no sense of community, new YMCA research reveals. https://ymca.ca/en/news-stories/press-release/six-in-ten-canadians-surveyed-have-little-or-no-sense-of-community-new-ymca-research-reveals