A Utopian Vision

Well isn't that something? Twenty years ago, homelessness was rife in Kitchener; public transport needed further improvements, cars frequently collided with the LRT causing harm to people, expensive damage and inconvenient delays; fountain water and toilets were not easily accessible; it was really a pedestrian last town. Climate change lead to more extreme weather during the summer: lawns were parched and brown, and when there was rain, it came down sideways with strong winds - trees fell and damaged houses, roads were obstructed and powerlines lay dangerously exposed. It's almost hardly believable in comparison to now.

Now, homelessness has been virtually eradicated - mental health services and social worker availability has been prioritized in the budget as well as actually affordable, housing continues to be built. In fact, a large support centre has been built in Downtown Kitchener with plenty of resources for people - not just homeless, but anyone who feels they are beginning to struggle. Kitchener was one of the first towns in Ontario to successfully introduce a bylaw to stop blind bidding so young people can actually afford housing!

The buses are all electric and now arrive at each stop every 10 minutes! People can get to the pubs and bars without driving because they know it'll be easy to get a bus home! And just like that, drunk driving and carbon emissions have been reduced. More people take public transport because of the frequency. The LRT line was extended to Cambridge and the line was expanded in Kitchener allowing more people to make use of the LRT. There is even free travel now when large events, such as Rib Fest are on. What's more, barriers have been added in places to stop people driving on the tracks! The Go Train now goes directly to Toronto at regular intervals (no more bussing it to Bramalea!). The station car park has been extended and offers free parking. This has reduced traffic and collisions on the 401 because people are loving that it only takes an hour and half to be at Union Station.

Downton and Belmont Village no longer have roads going through them - they are fully pedestrian first and have been completely paved over. Of course, sometimes, some access is required occasionally, so we have automated bollards that allow delivery vehicles to get through. This model has had success in Europe for years. There are now plenty of accessible public toilets and budget has been allocated to make sure they are kept clean and safe. Water fountains are available along the trails as well as Downton.

Sadly, climate change has still not been fixed and we continue to experience even more extremes. Every resident who opted in, was given free lawn seed containing clover to discourage high maintenance lawns needing a lot of water and care. Native wildflowers were also provided to allow people to plant pollinator areas for the bees. Free gardening and lawn care classes were offered. Kitchener looks so beautiful now, and it's wonderful to observe the diversity of each yard which stays much more green now, despite the hot, dry summers. And can you believe that most of our lines are underground now! So even in severe storms, no hazardous powerlines are falling down!

In only twenty years, the improvements have made a significant difference to Kitchener. More people are moving here which is helping our economy; more jobs, more homes - more happy people.

(Author note: yes, this is all just a utopian pipe dream, but hopefully it can inspire some things which might actually be possible)