Two adults and a child enjoying an outdoor fire in a snowy location

Explore Winter Cities

Eau Claire, WI

Eau Claireians love being outside in winter, whether it is a morning snowshoe, an afternoon cocktail, or an evening concert.

Winter in Eau Claire

Winter in Eau Claire can be a wonderful time of year, and local residents know it. Wintermission Eau Claire facilitated an engagement process focused on unlocking all the benefits of the winter season for all residents of the city. Eau Claire’s pilot projects featured cross-disciplinary collaboration across multiple stakeholders to enhance mobility and recreational opportunities for residents, while cultivating greater social connections and an improved outlook on the winter season as a whole. Read all about it in our Wintermission Eau Claire Winter City Strategy.

Resources

Eau Claire Winter City Strategy (Executive Summary)

Eau Claire Winter City Strategy

Community Engagement Report

Winter in Eau Claire

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Bringing Eau Claire Together

Over 1,000 people came together through the community engagement process via pop-up engagements, focus groups, workshops, surveys, and one-on-one conversations. Together, we identified four winter priorities for the pilot projects.

Winter Accessibility

The City of Eau Claire will work collaboratively toward prioritizing mobility and safe access to winter public life. Eau Claireians’ number one priority was a need for better snow clearing on streets, sidewalks, and trails. 38% of residents noted that the safety and accessibility of sidewalks in winter is extremely poor, a result that is consistent across ages, gender, and ethnocultural background. Severe snowfall can leave people stranded for several days. Many residents suggested ways for local government to partner with communities on improving ice and snow clearance throughout the city.

Winter Events & Recreation

Driven by collaborative efforts from local partners, Eau Claire will develop and sustain diverse winter programming that caters to all. People in Eau Claire think winter is a beautiful time of year and there are lots of opportunities to build on that excitement through existing events to get more people outdoors. Residents, especially those with young children at home, called for regular and small-scale programming in neighborhoods across the city.

Winter Culture

Eau Claire’s winter culture will support all communities in embracing and celebrating the unique, fun, and social aspects of winter. Although many residents love the natural beauty of the season, we also heard from those who dread winter and think of it as something to merely endure. We know that this does not have to be the case and that cities can shift cultural perceptions about winter. Building a positive narrative through strategic winter campaigns and initiatives can lead to broader cultural change on Eau Claire’s outlook on winter.