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Kitchener, Ontario
Montgomery Creek is an urban watercourse in Kitchener that was historically channelized into a straight system, disassociating the creek from its natural, meandering form. With funding from the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, the City of Kitchener began a project to re-naturalize a section of Montgomery Creek in 2020. As part of this work, SHIFT developed a vision for a small lookout space adjacent to the creek.
The design of the lookout space embraces a palette of natural materials comprised of objects found on site, reused elements, and newly added features. Boulders dug up from the historic floodplain became places to sit and climb; logs from recently felled trees turned into sculptural features and raptor perches; and new elements including reclaimed wood benches, native planting, and decomposed limestone surfacing supports access and function for people and wildlife.
The planting selected for the space is a fully native plant mix, with species that would have been present in the original riparian landscape to the creek. Throughout the year, the landscape highlights seasonal changes and provides a variety of edible fruits and seeds.