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When: Sunday, May 4th 2025, 1:00 – 2:30 pm

Meeting Point: 72 St. Leger Street (corner of St. Leger & Breithaupt Streets), Kitchener

Walk Leader: Lane Burman, Ted Parkinson

Ted Parkinson and Lane Burman will lead this walk through the Marvelous Mt. Hope-Breithaupt Park (MHBP) neighbourhood. In only a few blocks, just over a kilometre, we will discuss the history and development of our streets, businesses and industries. MHBP has been central to manufacturing furniture, buttons, tanning, pianos, stereos and more. And it is now a large part of the “Innovation” district with software companies and two stops on the ION route. As always, there will be time to meet and talk with neighbours along the way and everyone is welcome to share their stories..

When: Sunday, May 4th 2025, 10:30am – 12:00noon

Meeting Point: Veterans Green, Beech Street at Hazel Street

Walk Leader: Michael Druker

Northdale is the neighbourhood north of Wilfrid Laurier University and east of the University of Waterloo. It has been undergoing a remarkable master-planned transformation directly from a mid-century suburban subdivision to an urban mid-rise form. As we take a tour of the area, we will discuss its history and context, look at the iterations of planning approaches that are continuing to create the landscape, evaluate how it’s working, and discuss city-building lessons we can apply elsewhere.

When: Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 4:30 – 5:30pm

Meeting Point: 61 John St. E, corner of John and Willow

Walk Leader: Kae Elgie

Waterloo City Council recently gave citizens the right to build four dwelling units, up to four storeys high, on any residential lot anywhere in the city.

This walk will look at examples, and potential examples, of this type of gentle intensification and more ambitious intensification in the Mary Allen Neighbourhood. They will be looked at in the light of Jane Jacobs’ Ten Big Ideas.

Time: Sunday May 4th, 2025, 11:00am – 1:00pm

Meeting Place: Kingsdale Community Centre, 72 Wilson Avenue

Walk Leader: John MacDonald

Neighbourhood and community are built from our individual stories. We live and grow by creating memories and patterns that turn streets, buildings, and parks into places of belonging. By sharing our everyday experiences, hopes and dreams for the spaces in which we live, we enrich one another and create common understanding.

Will you walk with us and share your memories of Kingsdale’s grid of streets, Wilson Park, Montgomery Creek, and other spaces nearby? If you are a longtime resident, or grew up in the neighbourhood and moved away, or currently living and laughing in the neighbourhood, we’d like to hear from you. What are the streets and spaces that make/made the neighbourhood a home for you?

We hope that people of all ages and abilities will lend their voices to this accessible walk, following where those stories lead. Rain or shine. Feel free to email info@johnmacdonaldarchitect.ca with your questions or stories.

When: Sunday May 4th, 2:00-3:30pm

Meeting Point: 60 Willow St, Waterloo (across Mary Allen Park)

Walk Leader: Pui Ming Leung

Living sustainably is easier when we do it together. Join us for a Jane’s Walk through Mary Allen to visit homes with features like native plant gardens, rain gardens, EVs and chargers, solar panels, heat pumps, and more.

Homeowners will share their experiences—the challenges, the wins, and what inspired them to make their homes more sustainable. This walk is about creating space for conversations, sharing ideas, and learning from each other. Whether you’re just starting to think about sustainability or already making changes, everyone is welcome. Let’s connect, get inspired, and see what’s possible when neighbors come together.