News

Kitchener 2051 engagement snapshot

11 March 2025

Fall 2024 engagement highlights

We spoke with and heard from thousands of people since starting Kitchener 2051. We informed over 20,000 residents that this important city-building project had started and over 60,000 more households about ways to get involved this past fall!

Block Party

We hosted a Block Party on Gaukel Block to kick-off Kitchener 2051. Over 1,200 community members joined us on Oct. 5 to share their ideas for how the changes unfolding in our community over the next 25 years can benefit everyone.

Missed the Block Party? Check out the materials that were shared.

Speaker Series

This was followed by the first event in our Kitchener 2051 Speaker Series, where we explored how we live and how we move. A panel of experts and local residents shared their perspectives on what it means to build a caring and connected city.

Missed the first Speaker Series session? A video recording of the full event is now available.

Community Working Group

The Kitchener 2051 Community Working Group (CWG), comprising 35 residents from all wards of Kitchener, ranging from 18-70 years old, has met 6 times since September 2024. CWG members have learned about city planning and helped shape community engagement, validate what we’ve heard from the community, and helped connect different community groups and organizations with the project.

What we heard

This report summarizes what we asked, how we informed, and what we heard from our first phases of engagement.

Continuing the conversation about where and how we grow

Kitchener 2051 Speaker Series

Join us on Saturday, Apr. 5 starting at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s High School for the second thought-provoking Kitchener 2051 Speaker Series event. The session features Helen Kerr, an educator and leading Canadian foresight practitioner. No pre-registration is required.

Helen is one of the great design minds of Canada who brings together design thinking and future perspectives. Helen looks at and uses ideas about the future to help us better prepare for change and disruption.

A recording of the speaker session will be made available on the Kitchener 2051 project page.

Approaches to Growth Event

Following the speaker event, you're invited to take part in the Approaches to Growth Event from 2 to 5 p.m. Take part in conversations and interactive activities about how and where Kitchener can grow into the future. We'll share new approaches to growth and will ask you to balance different trade-offs while thinking about the City’s future. There will be refreshments and children’s activities available.

Online activities will launch April 5 on the project page, which will match the format of the in-person event. Stay tuned for more information!