In Mississauga, community voices shape new priorities for healthier schools and neighbourhoods
In Mississauga, Canada, the quest to create supportive environments for children to access nourishing foods and stay active is driven by those closest to the issue: children, families, educators and community members.
Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga is part of the global Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative (COPI) from Cities for Better Health. Local partners 8 80 Cities and Ophea are leading a bold co-creation model to improve access to nutritious food and opportunities for physical activity in underserved neighbourhoods.
Mississauga’s approach doesn’t start with pre-designed solutions. It starts by listening and then co-designing with the community every step of the way. From walking audits and school surveys to pop-up engagements and focus groups, the process is inclusive by design, especially for those who are often left out of traditional planning conversations.
By shaping priorities and solutions with the community, the local partners ensure the process reflects real needs and builds on local strengths.
Early insights are starting to reveal a clear picture. While most school communities have established infrastructure like gyms, open playgrounds and bike lanes, many could be strengthened through essential elements to improve health and inclusion for all abilities. These include accessible play structures, shaded outdoor areas, more water fountains and inclusive play programmes. Improving student access to nutritious food is also a key challenge – often constrained by limited funding, with some schools only able to offer a single daily snack.
Many of these community-identified barriers are still being explored through engagement with students, school staff, administration and school health nurses, and will be translated into shared priorities for action in both school and community spaces.
Mississauga’s co-design model is built to be flexible and responsive. The team reflects on learnings and adjusts activities through monthly checkpoints to ensure the process stays grounded in what matters most to residents.
This isn’t consultation, it’s co-creation. Local communities are not passive participants; they are decision-makers in shaping the environments that affect their children's health and well-being.
Mississauga’s experience shows what’s possible when cities take equity seriously – not just as a goal, but as a guiding principle. By designing with communities, rather than for them, the city is building practical and more sustainable place-based solutions and long-term momentum for change.
As other cities look for ways to create healthier environments for children, Mississauga offers a powerful reminder: impactful change begins by listening and grows through inclusive collaboration.
Learn more about Growing Healthy Places: Mississauga here.
