Methodology & Sources
Rent: Aggregated from current Waterloo rental listings (Kijiji,
Rentals.ca, PadMapper). Median range per neighbourhood, updated weekly.
Available Units: Count of active rental listings within each
neighbourhood boundary, de-duplicated across platforms.
Commute: Calculated via Google Maps Directions API — public
transit travel time from neighbourhood centroid to UW Main Campus (weekday 8:30 AM departure).
Grocery / Amenities: Walking distance to nearest supermarket
measured via Google Places API (Nearby Search, type=supermarket).
Transit Score: Composite of GRT route density, stop proximity,
average weekday frequency, and LRT access within 500m. Normalized 0–100.
Air Quality: Inverted AQI sourced from Government of Canada AQHI
stations. Higher = cleaner air. Interpolated to neighbourhood level.
Heating Estimate: Derived from Waterloo Region OpenData utility
benchmarks, adjusted by average unit size and building age per neighbourhood.
Livability Score: Weighted algorithm: Transit (25%) + Rent
Affordability (25%) + Grocery Access (15%) + Commute (15%) + Air Quality (10%) + Heating Cost (10%).
Normalized 0–100.
True Cost Formula: Base Rent (midpoint) + Estimated Heating +
Grocery Budget ($150) + Commute Cost (transit fare × weekday trips). Gives realistic monthly spend.
Boundaries: Neighbourhood polygons from City of Waterloo Open
Data — Official Neighbourhood Associations layer (GeoJSON).