Wintermission: Bringing Public Life to Winter Cities

Buffalo, NY; Eau Claire, WI, and Leadville, CO are the three cities participating in the ground breaking two-year Wintermission program.

In November 2018, we launched a call for program partners and challenged U.S cities to assemble diverse teams that would advance the goals of Wintermission. The response was astounding, and 62 cities of all sizes submitted applications.

With this project, we set out to combat social isolation and increase levels of physical activity in winter for all residents, no matter their age, ability, socio-economic, or ethnocultural backgrounds. Each city will undertake a process of community engagement, pilot projects, and the development of a unique winter city strategy.

Through an inclusive community engagement process that involved community organizations, business leaders and residents, we identified challenges, opportunities and ideas to bring public life to public spaces in winter.

Read the Community Engagement Reports below.

Read the report…

Meet the Cities

Buffalo, NY

Memorable winter weather events such as “The October Surprise” and “Snowvember” are fundamental to Buffalo’s collective resilience. Since the iconic “Blizzard of ‘77,” the city has experienced six severe winter storms, the most recent of which culminated in nearly eight feet of snow and required the dispatch of the National Guard.

Eau Claire, WI

People in Eau Claire love gathering – concerts, soccer and farmers markets are commonplace in the Wisconsin town located at the confluence of the crystal clear Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers. However, the average 40-60 days of sub-zero temperatures, snow and reduced daylight impacts the way public space is used in the coldest months.

Leadville, CO

Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America and the coldest place in Colorado. Cold winter days dampen Leadville’s otherwise bustling downtown streets, parks and trails. Breaking down barriers to access, enjoyment of community resources and social opportunities in all seasons is a shared priority for the Leadville Wintermission team.

The Journey

Read the full announcement.

Press Release

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Partners

Wintermission is led by 8 80 Cities and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Global Ideas Fund at CAF America. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of CAF America or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Project partners include the Children and Nature Network and National League of Cities. Advisors include the Winter Cities Institute, City of Edmonton, Town of Cochrane, City of Copenhagen, and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.