Kitchener’s tree equity project wins dual recognition for municipal innovation

Photo credit: MISA

Most recently, the project received the 2025 MISA Ontario Excellence in Municipal Systems Award. This award celebrates municipalities that demonstrate outstanding use of technology in smart ways to meet goals, improve services and foster collaboration. The committee selected Kitchener’s project for its innovative use of spatial data science. The project focused on a strong commitment to environmental equity, and scalable cost-effective approach to urban forestry.

Earlier this year, Kitchener received the Smart 20 Award for Cooling Our City – An Equitable Guide to Tree Planting, an innovative tool developed by Kitchener’s geospatial data and analytics team and utilized by forestry to help prioritize tree planting in underserved areas. This award highlights the top 20 municipal projects in North America that use technology to improve the quality of life for community members. Kitchener’s Tree Equity initiative stood out for its data-driven strategy to achieve 30% tree canopy coverage in every ward by 2050, using a public tree equity map to guide planting efforts.

City staff led the project, including Melanie Wawryk, manager of maps and data, and Hajnal Kovacs, forestry project manager. They used census data, satellite images and tree records to find the best places to plant trees. As a result, 150 large trees are planted each year. The community can learn more and get involved through Kitchener’s open data portal.

These awards showcase Kitchener’s leadership in technology to build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient city. Congratulations to the entire team for setting a new standard in municipal innovation.