Hagersville Livable City Planning

Forty students from grade 9 Geography traveled to Cayuga to present their Hagersville Livable City projects to Haldimand County planners and councilors. Students researched Hagersville, toured the town, studied the long-term goals of Hagersville and Haldimand, and developed designs that reflected the Urban Design guidelines for the County.

Five groups shared their proposals which included a bakery, a dog park, a retirement home, and a commercial and residential apartment complex. Each group had a least one member who was a resident of Haldimand County, allowing them to speak personally about their needs and desires as a citizen in the area.

We thankful for Haldimand County who invested in our students, visiting the school to invite our students to participate, and then answering student e-mails as they navigated their proposals. The feedback from the

City staff was incredibly encouraging:

“If these students are the future, we are in good hands.”

They also noted that our students’ focus on community and the needs of citizens was very strong, and any presentation done for the County could benefit from the students’ perspective.

It has been a privilege to watch our students learn and grow during this project, as they increased their understanding about the beauty and the complexities of creating more livable cities.