What is Your Ideal City?
In the annual My Ideal City contest, students aged 10 to 12 years were invited to tell Kitchener City Council about their “ideal city” by submitting essays. The 14 top essays were chosen, and those students were invited to a mock council debate televised on Rogers Cable 20 on May 26. The Kitchener Citizen is proud to sponsor this event, which helps students learn about municipal politics in a fun way. Here are the winning essays as submitted to the contest.
by Maya Salkini
My ideal city resembles harmony between nature and urban life, fostering a vibrant community prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity. After the Syrian war, we came to Canada. It was a warm and welcoming place. Everywhere I went I got smiles from everybody I looked at.
But now We need to focus on a few key changes to have an enriched country. First, enhancing public transportation is essential. A well-connected network of electric buses and bike lanes would significantly reduce traffic congestion and pollution, encouraging residents to adopt eco-friendly transportation options.
Next, incorporating green spaces is crucial. Parks, rooftop gardens, and urban forests would beautify the city and improve air quality. These spaces should be accessible to everyone, providing areas for relaxation, recreation, and community gatherings.
Moreover, prioritizing affordable housing is vital. A diverse range of housing options, from apartments to co-ops, ensures that people from all walks of life can call the city home. This inclusivity fosters a stronger sense of community and connection among residents
To support local economies, we should create incentives for small businesses and promote farmers’ markets to enhance communities and provide fresh, locally sourced products to residents.
Lastly, investing in education and cultural programs will enrich the lives of citizens. Libraries, art centers, and workshops should be accessible to all, nurturing creativity and lifelong learning.
By implementing these changes, we can build an ideal city that values sustainability, welcomeness, and community, creating a better environment for all.
by Lazar Macesic
Listen up citizens of Kitchener, we all expect an ideal place to live! First of all, we need to switch/ convert to electric and hybrid vehicles. This will save us money, and will help our city and the earth, with less pollution in the city. The reason is because the gas in other cars is the main cause of pollution, and if we convert to electric vehicles we will save fossil fuels, instead of wasting them.This would be the perfect environment for your kids! Wouldn’t you want that for you and your kids? Second of all we need IoT. With IoT we can have a better quality of life. You can connect IoT on bluetooth devices, your phone or any electronics you have. The devices connect with sensors, which can detect multiple stuff that you need to know. An example would be detecting if garbage bins are full so you empty it out at the right time. Or it could sense if your grass needs to be cut, instead of cutting short grass.
IoT can also help with better internet and connection quality. Thirdly, we need Public safety. Public safety is very important for your safety. You don’t want a city that has a high crime rate, being violent, or selling illegal items, or drugs. In an ideal city you want to feel safe and see joy, and not have to worry about any robberies. Education and healthcare plays a big role in an ideal city. An ideal city should invest in having good quality public schools, with lots of staff and students, and good education. Healthcare is very important when it comes to an ideal city. Good quality and service is what you want in hospitals, and medical facilities. Wel hired and trained staff is very important because you want to be checked up quickly, especially if it’s an emergency!
If you want an awesome city to live in, you should take my advice, and take action immediately because we have no time to waste!
by Tia Patel
In my ideal city, everyone would be treated fairly and with kindness. People of all races, genders, and backgrounds would have the same opportunities and rights. This city would be a shining example of social justice, making sure every person can succeed while taking care of the environment. There would be affordable housing so everyone has a safe and comfortable place to live without worrying about how much to pay for their home. Hospitals would be easy to reach, ensuring quick emergency care when needed will come right away to the emergency. Schools and Universities would also be available for everyone, creating strong foundations for learning throughout life. The community and government would work together to help those who are homeless and celebrate the rich cultural diversity that makes the city lively.
Transportation would be simple and eco-friendly, with electric buses, and trams that help reduce pollution. The city would be filled with beautiful parks, walking trails, and green spaces to encourage health and happiness. Clean energy sources like solar and wind would be used to support sustainable growth.
The economy would provide equal job opportunities for everyone, ensuring that resources are shared fairly. Decisions about jobs, healthcare, education, and public services would focus on fairness for all.
In conclusion, my ideal city would be a wonderful mix of kindness, respect, and care for the environment, creating a safe and uplifting place where everyone can live a happy and fulfilling life.
by Nikola Mitrovic
Hello, welcome to this essay about the things that make my city ideal. I like a city with free and world-class healthcare. That’s why my first idea is to make my city ideal with good
healthcare. My city will have free high quality healthcare with three hospitals and lots of doctors. Everyone will have their own family doctor and there will be money given to research and raise awareness for diseases like cancer and brain disorders.
I also like a city with lots of activities, so my city will have sports centers, community centers, libraries and many trails in forests for adventure. Why? because if you don’t have as much as Kitchener, it will be boring to visit and live in. That is the second reason why my city is so ideal.
Cities need good transportation to keep people happy. That’s why my third idea is to increase the budget to transportation companies like GRT. They should have better and bigger bus seats, more trains and improved vehicles so that they can run faster and more efficiently than ever before. That will make the people happy.
Those are the reasons that make my city ideal. This essay was made for the Kitchener competition. Thank you to my teachers for helping me.
by Jiyanaa Pachchigar
My ideal city is a place where everyone feels comfortable and at home. People should feel like they belong and are able to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Most importantly, kindness should be at the heart of the city.
First, the people in my city need to be kind. If most of the city is mean, others might feel unwelcome or unsafe and leave! A city filled with kindness means that there will be no racism or discrimination, and everyone can live happy, flourishing lives.
Secondly, there should be cool, amusing, fun things to do. I hate when I suffer through boredom and I don’t want the city to suffer as well. Some people who have pets can’t go more than an hour away for entertainment which is really sad. So I want them to have a source of entertainment closer to them. I think it’s a great idea that would make the city thrive with happy people.
Finally, more pet friendly places would make this city filled with joyful hearts! A lot of my friends can’t have a lot of fun, or go to places that bring them joy because there are barely any pet friendly places! One of the main reasons I can’t get my dream pet, a dog, is because of this issue. This idea would bring hundreds of pet owners joy and glee!
This is my ideal city–a place full of joy and glee, where people can make memories. A city where everyone lives by this saying, “ You can take the heart out of the city, but never the city out of the heart.”
by Khoi Vu
Many people have to experience war, racism, and natural
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disasters, seeing their friends and family in pain every day, and my peaceful ideal city should protect me from all of that.
My ideal city is a place with excellent schools that inspire kids to dream big, that kid values education, encourage all ages to keep exploring new ideas, a warm welcoming neighbourhood where neighbours greet each other to make life happier, with a city leader who genuinely listen to the people and make life affordable and fair make it better for everyone. There should be plenty of stores next to others to make it convenient, Safe shelters should be available for those who are in need and make it affordable places, with a great sport to practice and train.
It should be known for its friendly vibe and support; this city should be what a dream looks like, a place where everyone feels welcomed and happy, where everyone is treated fairly, and where in sports there is always sportsmanship with fair play.
I never imagined a city with beautiful nature and gardens with a lot of construction going on. There are many city prove me wrong. Where there is a delightful blend of city life and nature, with beautiful parks and blooming gardens.
Many cities have blended in as my favourite city where there is a beautiful community spirit. A city where modern development combines with rich cultural roots; this thriving with multiple-culture celebrates that people can enjoy together.
by Madi Nicholls
For me, my perfect Kitchener is a place where everybody gets along, and no one is left out. For me that means all schools having good grass and not just hard dirt. For me that means libraries being quiet. For me that means more trees on school property so we can have shade. For me that means signs that say 30 km an hour begins on one side and 30 km an hour ends on the other near school zones. And last for me that means public transport being a little more affordable.
First of all, I think that all schools should get better grass or good grass because here I Groh, we don’t have good grass. That’s a problem because we just have hard dust, and then when the wind blows, the dust gets in people‘s eyes. Also, a lot of people like to play soccer in the summertime or during the warmer months of the school year and if they slip and fall somehow cause they kick the ball too hard then they’re gonna fall on that hard compacted dust and they’re gonna get really hurt and we don’t want people to get hurt. That’s why I think all schools should get better grass.
Second, I think the libraries should be a little quieter because when you think of a library, you think of a nice quiet place, and you think of curling up in a corner and reading a chapter book that you really enjoy. But when you go to an actual public library it’s not that quiet, I think that for me, a quiet library is a good library. That’s why I think libraries should be a little quieter.
Third, I think that we should get more trees at schools because when they grow their can be more shade in the summer because it can get really hot. And even though we like warm things, especially in the winter, we like cold things in the summer so I think that getting more trees for shade would really help in all schools. That’s why I think we should get more trees at schools.
Fourth, I think that we should have signs that say 30 km an hour begins on one side on the exact other side a sign that says 30 km an hour ends in school zones. I think that we should get signs like that so it can be extra clear where the school zone starts and then where it ends. I also think that that is important because a lot of people are going to a new school and if they’re driving somewhere for the first time but there’s no sign that says 30 km an hour begin and then somebody could get hurt. That’s why I think we should have signs that say 30 km an hour begins on one side and on the exact other side a sign that says 30 km an hour ends in school zones.
Fifth, I think that we should make public transport a little more affordable because if someone didn’t have a lot of money than they wouldn’t be able to pay for a bus membership for the rest of the year. So, I was thinking instead of having bus membership that costs maybe $10 a month having bus membership that costs maybe 4 to 5 dollars a month. My reason why you should lower the price of the bus membership is more people would use it then they would make more money because even though they’re charging less more people would use it. That’s why I think we should make public transport a little more affordable.
That’s why for me my perfect Kitchener is a place where everyone is gets along and no one is left out. And all schools have good or better grass, quiet libraries, more trees in schools, signs that say 30 km an hour begins and 30 km an hour ends, and more affordable public transport.
by Jaxon Lakoseljac
If I were in charge in the city I would have everyone have someone to care for them so they don’t have to wait in line to
get a doctor if you live far away from family and if you’re single so you don’t have to drive far away.
Shopping We’re going to get stuff you need like food,water and furniture and toys for your kids. We will drop the price by at least 10$ so you don’t go poor and can’t get the stuff you need.
Sports,Recreations So then your kids can keep active and not ask to go to stores and get more stuff.
Parks and Trails You can get a lot of fresh air if you are someone that lives in a house. We will not destroy any forests, we will put down more trees and open space.
Public Transit Will make buses free if you are someone that takes a city bus to work so they don’t spend more than they need to.
Rules / Regulations You will not be allowed to spray paint buildings, you will just be like the city can clean that up.
Pools and Splash pads For the water we will clean it and put it back to use so we don’t waste water
by Hope Herr
Do you ever feel that this city isn’t good enough for you? I think it’s great. But for my ideal/perfect city we would have more customer service to help more people with their troubles. Because recently I’ve heard a lot of people complain about their bad experience at the place they were at.
I would also like to include better prices on food, water, etc. (I know that the municipal government doesn’t take care of that but I still think that). I personally don’t like those prices, because there are some people out there that don’t have a lot of money and/or don’t have jobs at all. I’m also thinking that we could build more shops/stores because near my road where I live there’s no KFC anywhere near us.
Libraries are important too. We want more people to go to the library, because libraries are there to help people, educate people, give people new opportunities and help with taking care of young learners, like sometimes they will host an activity day for people at the age of 3-12. In my opinion it’s kind of like a daycare. So it’s good if you don’t have a babysitter or just don’t have time to watch your kids and work at the same time. I’m also going to say that I would build more buses/cars/ trains for the elderly and disabled. Because I see people like that that look like they need help. That is my perfect/ideal city.
by Janessa Clubb
When you think about it, we all would love to live in a city
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where we are happy and healthy.
First of all I think there should be more parks and more get-togethers.
An ideal city would have more parks and more spots for adults AND kids to make more friends and get out of the house.
For example, we should have a giant park with little cafes and stores around the park, in the middle of all of these cafes there would be parks, lakes, splash pads, sand pits, fields and way more. This would get people out of the house and could revive the city! The best thing would be the stores and cafes would be very very cheap so it would be more affordable.
Secondly instead of building so many houses they should build more apartments so there would be more space for nature. An ideal city would have more nature and less buildings.
For example, in one of the videos it said to put vines and plants on the side of the buildings which I think is a really good idea. This could even bring people together because maybe you’re going to pick a chunk of lettuce from outside your window and so is your neighbor, then you guys start talking and there you have it, a new friend! If apartments have vibrant gardens you would spend less money on groceries and the food would be fresh.
Lastly Let’s make housing less expensive. If we want to have an ideal city we will have to have the money first.
I’m sure everyone wants an ideal city so how about we make housing more affordable.
For example, if we want something unique like the central park we need the money and everything is currently so expensive like groceries, clothing and housing. Me and my Mom get most of our stuff off of marketplace online or we go thrifting because everything is so expensive. Also if there are any buildings in the city that are not being used we could turn them into new apartments that would make the city look fresh and new.
by Dasin Yasin
To make the best city in the world. I would add some houses and buildings so people can live there. I would add laws so the city wouldn’t be chaos. Also public transit so people can get around. I will add libraries so people can be able to read and socialize there. I would add some stores or shops like Costco or Walmart so people can get groceries or like medicine. I would add some sports so they can exercise and have fun and. I would put parks there because people can have fun there and play. I would make the food and stuff cheap instead of expensive. I would add community centres. I would make it have good land. I would make it a good city with no bad guys, no robbers. I would put in a lot of trees and add a rule: don’t rip the branches of the trees or you will get a ticket. I would add a provincial government, federal and municipal government. I would put a train that is free to ride on. I will put banks with security guards around the bank and inside the bank. I will add fresh water so people wont get sick from the water. I would add doctors, hospitals ,fire departments so if there is an emergency they won’t have to panic a lot. I would put a sign that says you’re not allowed to litter. I would make a daycare centre so their mom can take their kids there so their mom gets free time. I will make the gas price be around 50 cents.
by Enkela Morina
My ideal city would be a fun, welcoming, fair and safe place. Like ensuring that people don’t get into accidents due to any kind of issue like potholes, If there is any issue on the road my ideal city would temporarily close it off to fix the problem. But if your car is damaged or you don’t own one, there are many transportation options available, such as buses, trains, or rentals, all at reasonable prices for you to get to where you need to go.
In my ideal city, I would make sure that there are a variety of places you can go to, like libraries, community centers, arcades and parks. There should also be many grocery stores with fresh and clean food to ensure that people get the nutrition they need. We would also make sure that we have many public schools with proper education to ensure that your kids are getting the education they need.
Pollution is a global problem, so instead of all the garbage lying around I would put many garbage cans and promote to stop pollution, and have more forests with bike trails, and hiking trails for people to enjoy and to clean the air.
Lastly in my ideal city, we should be helping the people living in poverty and helping them have opportunities to get jobs, and there would be cheap housing. Cities can never be perfect but we can make them better if we work together.
by Antonio Jordao Mendes de Goes
Listen up City of Kitchener Waterloo, did you imagine what an ideal city is! First of all, an ideal city needs to have healthy
and renewable sources of energy, for example solar and wind energy. In Toronto some stop lights have solar panels on top of them, with healthy energy we can stop part of the pollution. That would be good for the environment and future generations. Of course there are other renewable sources of energy but we could stay with these two sources of energy for NOW!! Second of all, we need to think green. We can mix the urbane buildings with nature. For example Bosco Verticale is a big building covered with vegetation. That would be something perfect for an ideal city, with nature we would have fresher air. I think in Kitchener we could bring that idea to reality immediately!! Imagine our future generations with a clean and beautiful city with fresh air. Most important point That we really need to get into here in Kitchener Waterloo is housing, the prices of the houses in our city are really high. At the moment the price of housing is approximately $800 000. If we don’t bring the price down, we are going to start losing citizens more and more, so that is really something that we need to get into right away!! I understand that it takes a big amount of time and tons of money to bring these ideas to reality, but I now it’s worth it. Don’t do it for you, do it to your citizens. Don’t live for tomorrow what you can do today, make a change to be better.
by Oliver (Ollie) Emery
Today, our world has over 20,000 cities! All cities are different, but my city would have more solar energy, less gas cars and better healthcare.
First, let’s talk about electricity! There are cleaner ways to generate power and one of them is through solar panels! There are some flaws in solar energy, like it being hard to store and it being dependent on sunlight, but it is still one of the best because it doesn’t use natural resources like coal or oil. Also, it doesn’t cause pollution.
Speaking of pollution, gas cars produce a ton of carbon dioxide. This is terrible for both people and the environment. Electric cars are better because they use electricity for fuel instead of gas. My city would have little to no gas cars and more bike lanes. Electric cars may cost more, but they are better in the long run.
Last but not least, let’s talk about healthcare. I’ve noticed some flaws in the current healthcare system. First, there are not enough family doctors for everyone so when someone has a minor injury they will have to wait hours in the ER to be seen by a doctor. In my ideal city, there would be more family doctors available to everyone. This would reduce crowding in the Emergency Room and ensure quicker care for patients in need.
In conclusion, my ideal city would prioritize clean energy and the health of its people. Through solar panels and electric cars, we would reduce the amount of pollution happening. Everyone would have a family doctor to help them stay happy and healthy.
