Back to SearchKITCHENER – On Monday, a standing committee approved three new Neighbourhood Places Programs, offering Kitchener residents opportunities to enhance their neighbourhoods through greening, public seating and art projects. As the latest addition to the city’s Love My Hood Neighbourhood Strategy, the new programs empower residents to transform public spaces into gathering places that bring neighbours together and foster a greater sense of community identity and connectedness.
“In our parks, trails and recreational areas, public seating tends to be a top priority outlined by residents,” said Ward 6 Councillor, Paul Singh. “I'm enthusiastically supportive of the Neighbourhood Seating Program which will help train and educate our community partners and residents who want to see more public seating in our neighbourhoods. As a caring and innovative community, Kitchener’s collaboration efforts serve to strengthen our neighborhoods.”
Residents first expressed interest in greening, seating and art initiatives during initial consultations for the Love My Hood strategy. Since then, the city has continued to engage with the public to develop resources that would enable residents to take the lead in implementing these types of projects in their neighbourhoods. Input from a community workshop held earlier this year informed the scope of the new programs as well as the types of resources needed to support residents in making improvements to public spaces in their neighbourhoods.
“Residents told us that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to planning projects in their neighbourhoods,” said Jenna van Klaveren, neighbourhood development office associate. “By providing a wide range of projects through the Neighbourhood Places Program, residents have the opportunity to shape the future of their neighbourhoods by undertaking projects that matter most to them.”
Using feedback from the community, three corresponding step-by-step guides have been developed to assist residents with the planning and execution of greening, seating, or art projects such as food forests, picnic tables, and community murals. The guides can be found online at www.lovemyhood.ca and paper versions are available at city facilities. Residents are also encouraged to connect with the city’s neighbourhood development office for guidance in navigating city processes or to learn more about funding for a project.
The city is currently accepting applications for its Neighbourhood Matching Grant, funding which can be put towards greening, seating or art projects. The deadline for applications is Aug. 15. For more information, visit www.kitchener.ca/NMG
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For More Information:
Marissa LaBianca
Communications and Marketing Associate
City of Kitchener
519-741-2200 ext. 7191
Marissa.Labianca@kitchener.ca
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