“[Those] who marvel at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for admiration and wonder in winter.” -John Burroughs

Resource Repository

Below is a collection of resources, including Livable Winter Cities Association (LWCA) newsletters, Academic Research, Municipal Winter Strategy Documents, and various related grey literature.

From theory to practice, this section provides a rich collection of research, historical context, and theoretical frameworks to ground your understanding of winter cities. Explore foundational knowledge and climate-adaptive planning strategies to inform and inspire your work.

Academic Publications
Title AuthorDate
Harsh living Conditions: A Research AgendaNorman Pressman1989
Northern Cityscape: Linking Design to ClimateNorman Pressman1995
Living in harmony with Winter; A Sustainable Development ApproachNorman PressmanN/A
Shaping Cities for Winters: Climatic Comfort and Sustainable DesignNorman Pressman2004
The Idea of Winterness: Embracing Ice and Snow. (In M. Zardini’s “Sense of the City)Norman Pressman2005
Sense of the City: An Alternate Approach to Urbanism Mirok Zardini2005
Climatic barriers to soft-mobility in winter: Luleå, Sweden as case studyDavid Chapman, Kristina Nilsson, Agneta Larsson, Agatino Rizzo 2017
Kiruna: The Arctic town that forgot about winterJennie Sjöholm2025
“We embrace winter here”: Celebrating place in winter citiesMadeleine Stout, Damian Collins, Joshua Evans2022
“Celebrated, not just endured:” Rethinking Winter CitiesMadeleine Stout, Damian Collins, Sophie L. Stadler, Ranon Soans, Emma Sanborn, Robert J. Summers2018
New Nordicities for Northern communities: exploring synergies between spatial planning and place branding in Edmonton, AlbertaKristof Van Assche, Monica Gruezmacher, Robert Summers, Vanessa Zembal, Megan Strickfaden2022
Winter City Urbanism: Enabling All Year Connectivity for Soft Mobility David Chapman, Kristina L. Nilsson, Agatino Rizzo, Agneta Larsson2019
Updating Winter: The Importance of Climate Sensitive Urban Design for Winter SettlementsDavid Chapman, Kristina L. Nilsson, Agatino Rizzo, Agneta Larsson2018
Impacts of the temporary urban design on the people’s behavior – The case study on the winter city Khabarovsk, RussiaAnastasiia Andreevna Paukaeva, Tsuyoshi Setoguchi, Vera Ivanovna Luchkova, Norihiro Watanabe, Hayato Sato2021
Developing climate-responsive winter citiesNorman Pressman1988
Sustainable winter cities: Future directions for planning, policy and designNorman Pressman 1996
A Study of the Relationship between Human Behavior and Urban Design during the Winter in a High-Snowfall Urban AreaNorihiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Setoguchi2024
Climate-Responsive Design Principles in Winter City Urban Public Open Spaces: A Case Study in Erzurum, Aziziye DistrictMahshid Mikaeili2025
Snow pollution management in urban areas: an idea whose time has come?Matthias Borris, Helene Osterlund, Jiri Marsalek, Maria Viklander2021
Cold city outdoor space utilisation patterns and constraints: A systematic review of empirical evidenLi Caili, Sretheran Maruthaveeran, Mohd Fairuz Shahidan, Li Caiwen2024
“We Embrace Winter Here”: Place and Placemaking in Winter CitiesMadeleine Stout2021
A Conceptual Framework for Health Streets: Considerations for Winter CitiesAna Karinna Hidalgo2025
Research on Predicting Building Facade Deterioration in Winter Cities Using Diffusion ModelShuo Yu, Jianyi Li, Hao Zheng, Haoran Ding2025
Reclaiming Winter: How Visual, Thermal, and Acoustic Comfort Shape Psychological Restoration in Severe Cold Urban ParksMing Gao, Xun Zhu2025
Why Study the Seasons? Reflections on the Question of Urban TemporalitiesDorothee Brantz2024
Winter City in translation: The Winter Cities movement and the design of an Arctic Norwegian CityÅste Kristine Ullring Holtan2025
Reports & White Papers
TitleAuthorDate
Winter Places: A Design Guide for Winter PlacemakingBench Consulting2021
Plan Canada: Great Places in CanadaCanadian Institute of Planning2014
Winterizing Our CitiesOntario Professional Planners Association2015
Newsletters and Media
Title AuthorDate
Winter Cities Vol 24, #1 Winter Cities Association2005
Winter Cities, Vol 23 #2Winter Cities Association2004
Winter Cities Vol 23, #1Winter Cities Association2004
Winter Cities Vol 22, #4Winter Cities Association2003
Winter Cities Vol 22, #3Winter Cities Association2003
Winter Cities Vol 22, #2Winter Cities Association2003
Winter Cities Vol 22, #1Winter Cities Association2003
Winter Cities, Vol 21, #4Winter Cities Association2002
Winter Cities Vol 21, #3Winter Cities Association2002
Winter Cities, Vol 21, #2 (May Supplement)Winter Cities Association2002
Winter Cities, Vol 21, #2Winter Cities Association2002
Winter Cities Vol 21 #1Winter Cities Association2002
Winter Cities Vol 20 #1Winter Cities Association2001
Winter Cities Vol 19, #3Winter Cities Association2000
Winter Cities Vol 19, #2Winter Cities Association2000
Winter Cities Vol 19, #1Winter Cities Association2000
Winter Cities, Vol 18 #2Winter Cities Association1999
Winter Cities Vol 18 #2Winter Cities Association1999
Winter Cities Vol 17, #1Winter Cities Association1998
Winter Cities Vol 16, #1Winter Cities Association1997
Winter Cities Vol 14, #2Winter Cities Association1996
Winter Cities, Vol 11 #4Winter Cities Association1994
Winter Cities Vol 11, #3Winter Cities Association1993
Winter Cities Vol 11, #2Winter Cities Association1993
Winter Cities Vol 11, #1Winter Cities Association1993
Winter Cities, Vol 10, #4Winter Cities Association1993
Winter Cities, Vol 10, #3Winter Cities Association1992
Winter Cities, Vol 10 #1&2Winter Cities Association1992
Winter Cities, Vol 9, #2Winter Cities Association1991
Winter Cities, Vol 9, #1Winter Cities Association1991
Winter Cities, Vol 8, #3Winter Cities Association1990
Winter Cities Vol 8, #2Winter Cities Association1990
Winter Cities, Vol 8, #1Winter Cities Association1990
Winter Cities, Vol 7, #7Winter Cities Association1990
Winter Cities Vol 7, #6Winter Cities Association1989
Winter Cities, Vol 7, 4&5Winter Cities Association1989
How Bill Morneau May be Using Sweden’s Gender Balanced Snow Clearing to Adjust Canadian BudgetsCBC2018
Municipal Policy Documents
Title AuthorDate
Winter City Design GuidelinesCity of Edmonton, AB2016
Winter City Strategy 10-Year Report City of Edmonton, AB2024
Wintercity YXE: Saskatoon’s Winter Strategy Implementation PlanCity of Saskatoon, SK2021
Calgary’s Winter City StrategyCity of Calgary, AB2022
Winter RidingCity of Thunder Bay, ON2021
Ville D’Hiver: Princeps et Strategies d’amenagerment hivernal du reseau actif d’espaces publics montrealaisVivre en Ville2018
Beaumont Winter City StrategyCity of Beaumont, AB2022
Urban Design GuidelinesCity of Anchorage, Alaska2007