Who Has Access?

Mapping neighbourhood services in Waterloo Region

As Waterloo Region grows to One Million Neighbours in the next few decades, how can we build toward a future that is inclusive, resilient, and abundant for all?

This map shows the level of access to services like parks, green space, transit, healthcare, and community space. Which neighbourhoods have abundant access? Which ones need more investment?

This map is one way we are measuring progress towards the One Million Neighbours vision, created by non-profits and community groups across Waterloo Region. We identified common priorities and envisioned future scenarios based on multisolving: finding solutions that solve multiple problems at the same time, while advancing equity.

How the ratings are calculated

The ratings of neighbourhoods as “abundant,” “average,” or “least” access to resources are calculated as follows:

For each type of resource selected on the filter, divide by the population in the neighbourhood to get a per-capita value.
Adjust the sizes of the per-capita values so that they all have similar sizes. This ensures that all resource types are treated on an equal basis when combined.
Calculate the average among all resources selected on the filter
After combining all resources, the top third of neighbourhoods are rated as “abundant.” The middle third are “average” and the lowest third are rated as “least access.”