GOOD PRACTICE

The city has launched the Growing Together project, which will update the planning framework for these transit station areas, enabling and encouraging responsible growth for the future.

OBJECTIVES

A significant percentage of growth in Kitchener is occurring around areas of the ION LRT light rail system. Building and growing around public transit is a fundamental tenet of Ontario’s planning framework. Growing Together will update the planning framework for these areas, known as Major Transit Station Areas, allowing, and encouraging responsible growth for the future.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIONS CARRIED OUT

Growing Together is a pioneering project in its integration of the physical and digital worlds, leveraging the same 3D model and methodology to communicate complex content to the public and build shared understanding. It also generates a multitude of growth scenarios and quantitative metrics directly related to community participation.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Focus on community involvement. The City of Kitchener has been working closely with local organizations and residents to identify the most pressing needs and opportunities in each neighbourhood. This has involved a variety of activities, including community consultations, surveys, and workshops, including soliciting feedback through the use of a 3D printed city model.

MAIN RESULTS ACHIEVED

Engaging nearly 600 residents with the 3D printed model since January 2023, translating workshop results into multiple growth scenarios within the smart model and generating quantitative data for comparison, and engaging the community in creating growth scenarios for comparison and evaluation using data, meaning residents will be directly connected to policy and strategy outcomes. Finally, the project has won two awards to date: Smart50 award and a Municipal Systems Excellence 2023 award.