Parks and open spaces are the basis on which communities are built. They are where we play, walk our dog and exercise, where we meet our neighbours and celebrate together. Our Parks Strategic Plan guides where and how we build parks and what goes into a park in Kitchener.
On this page:
- Places & Spaces: An Open Space Strategy for Kitchener
- Parks Strategic Plan (2010)
- Tell us what you think
Places & Spaces: An Open Space Strategy for Kitchener
Places & Spaces: An Open Space Strategy for Kitchener will be our new guiding strategic document for parks and open spaces in Kitchener.
Our guiding principle for this new strategy is: parks and open spaces are important spaces that help residents find their place. Download the Foundations document to read more on the guiding principles, vision and values of the strategy.
The Places & Spaces strategy will focus on two main topics:
- Spaces: where we have parks and where we need them
- Places: what we need in parks to support our residents and communities
Visit our Engage Kitchener page to learn more about the project and get involved.
Download these documents for more context:
Spaces
The Spaces strategy, the first part of Places & Spaces: A Parks and Open Space Strategy, sets out the vision for parkland, shaped by extensive community engagement, over the next two decades. It identifies the importance of local parks to community and sets a target of 10 square meters of local park per person across the city. The plan identifies nine critical needs communities, where we’ll look to add new parks over the coming years. The plan directs staff to:
- work to secure up to 18 new parks in critical needs communities to support community access to local park space
- work with partners like school boards and hydro companies to maximize shared opportunities to use open spaces for the public
As part of the plan, city council passed a new parkland dedication bylaw that includes:
- removal of an exemption on all downtown development to pay parkland dedication as part of new development
- providing a discount to developers who build and sustain supportive housing and affordable rental housing
- providing support for developers to build public open spaces into new private developments
Staff will begin by looking for opportunities where new parks might be located, based on priorities in the plan, and will bring recommendations forward during the 2024 budget cycle for how city council can further support and fast-track securing parkland.
Places
Places will be the vision of parks in Kitchener. Places focuses on the quality of our parks for placemaking and creating diverse and functional spaces.
Places will explore a wide range of themes, including:
- principles of design: equity, accessibility
- environmental: habitat, stormwater and climate change
- specific infrastructure planning: playgrounds, sportsfields, dog parks
Staff are working on Places now through exploration of each theme and opportunities to engage on each one along the way.
Subscribe to our Engage Kitchener page to get updates about surveys, events, idea boards and more.
Parks Strategic Plan (2010)
In 2010, we developed the Parks Strategic Plan. This plan identified long-term objectives, priorities and strategies to deliver a system of parks and open spaces across Kitchener to serve the needs of our communities.
Through this plan, we laid out a network of neighbourhood parks, active parks and natural areas. These spaces are connected by community trails and the Grand River Corridor to support recreation and leisure for everyone in Kitchener.
The plan helps guide how we build parks and open spaces in new communities as Kitchener grows. Our goals are:
- give residents access to a neighbourhood park or playground within 500m of their homes
- have at least 1.5 hectares of parkland for every 1,000 residents
Download these documents for more context:
Tell us what you think
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