For their work this past Saturday morning updating and preparing our Online Auction lawn signs, Neil Swayze and his team of volunteers were our Bell Ringers for this week.

Our Online Auction Major fundraiser is well under way,  donations and sponsorships are coming in and will hopefully continue over the next week or so.  Please contact Bill Proctor or Neil Swayze if you have items or sponsorships that have been donated; if you have items to be picked up or if you have any questions.

 

Our sign blitz is this Saturday, October 21st.  We need members to take signs for their home/businesses or for distribution in the region.  See the email notice that has been sent out for details.

 

Members are reminded that our Your Forever Fund, formally our Permanent Fund, is an important way for our club to generate funds on an ongoing basis as it is only the interest that will be used to support needs in our community.  The fund currently sits at around $80,000 and we hope to reach $100,000 by the end of the year.  Additional details are provided in the email message that has been sent to all members.

 

Jonas spoke to the club today providing some background on his home in France.  He is from a small village, which does not show up on any general maps of France, of about 250 people.  He finds quite a difference in the cheese (one of his favourite foods from his area of France and what we have over here.  A common meal at home, that is not popular here is mussels with French Fries.  Two major differences in the schooling that he has noticed so far is that in France high school students are in classes from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. while here the day goes from 8:00 a.m. to just 2:20 p.m.  The other difference is that the full curriculum there is set – no options, while here there are just a few compulsory courses with many electives.

 

 

There are still a few spots available for the 1st Annual Kitchener Rotary Pickleball event, hosted together with Pickleball of Waterloo Wellington Region on October 28th. For those not playing Pickleball, please come by to experience the Kitchener Rotary Ukraine Committee Fun Fair in support of Ukranian families.
 

 

 

Our main program today was a presentation on The Future of Cities by Markus Moos from the U of Waterloo School of Planning, introduced by Robert Shipley.

 

Dr. Markus Moos is Professor and a Registered Professional Planner in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. He formerly held roles as associate director graduate studies and director of the School. Moos holds a joint-honours bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and economics from Waterloo, a master’s degree in planning from Queen’s, and a PhD in urban and economic geography from UBC. Moos researches the changing economies and social structures of cities, housing and land markets, generational change, imagination, and the nature of different types of knowledge. Moos is fundamentally interested in these topics in an integrated way as means to gain better understanding of how and why societies change, the role of public policy and planning, and the sustainability and social equity implications. He has been credited for developing “youthification” as a new concept to help explain neighbourhood change. Moos’ research is published widely in peer-reviewed articles, books, policy reports, and the press.  He is currently an Editor at Urban Studies Journal, a leading academic publication in his field.

 

Rather than try to predict what future cities mighty look like, Markus focused on the factors that influence change and the challenges that often make achieving necessary changes difficult.  He touched on why there is resurgent interest in predicting the future of cities and the benefits and drawbacks of various ways of thinking used to better understand what the future may hold.

 

One of the ways researchers study this topic is to look at past predictions of the future to see how accurate they were, and what factors led to more insightful predictions.  He indicated that over the past several decades there is a developing and increasing faith in technology and that it might be helpful in dealing with challenges we are facing, or will face.

 

There is a growing sense of uncertainly in the world due to major issues such as Climate Change, Global Conflict and Pandemics.  But it is not clear if this stems from actual more uncertainty or from a greater need for more certainty in people.

 

In planning for the future an approach often used is to look at past and current trends or needs and base future needs on them but this tends to perpetuate the “norm” and does not address evolving issues such as climate change.  A case in point is our dependence on the automobile and our lack of progress in creating more alternatives and working towards a less fossil fuel dependency.  Ona positive local note is our own LRT that, despite concerns that it is not being used to the extent that it could be it is there for the future and will continue to foster positive changes.

 

He spoke about the impact of Epochal or Watershed Events, many of which can occur unexpectedly, that can have a profound effect and lead to significant change.  His examples included the accidental discovery of penicillin, the tearing down of the Berlin wall and the COVID pandemic.  Some changes though are incremental, such as the impact of technology from the first room-size computers to desk tops to tablets to smart phones and on and the corresponding incremental impacts that have had on society.  However, as part of the ongoing gradual change that can occur a more significant change can occur such as what is currently happening with AI.

 

He made a very strong case that understanding how the future takes shape has perhaps never been as urgent as today in the face of global unrest, increasing societal divisions, and the climate crisis.

There is no regular meeting next week, however there are several dates to keep in mind over the next two weeks. 

• October 21 - Online Auction Sign Distribution
• October 24 - KidsAbility - Linda Kenny celebration and Paul Harris Fellow Award - Granite Club, 99 Seagram’s Drive, Waterloo
• October 28 - Pickleball Fundraising Tournament
• October 30 - 4pm – Dom Cardillo Trail Clean up at Stanley Park Mall