Montréal centre-ville unveils plan to enhance 60 downtown public spaces

Downtown Montreal’s business association, Montréal centre-ville, unveiled its first-ever strategy for enhancing open spaces in the heart of downtown. Produced by the Montreal office of Stantec, a world leader in infrastructure and urban design, the plan is part of an ambition to guide the urban development of downtown for decades to come, emphasizing the crucial importance of outdoor spaces in the urban experience of visitors, workers, tourists and residents.

Based on the recommendations of the Alliance for Downtown Montreal, and with the financial support of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy), this plan aims to provide coherent, pragmatic and holistic guidance for the temporary and semi-permanent development of the downtown area, using a public-private partnership approach to meet user expectations. 

Developed with a view to rapid implementation, the plan identifies 60 open spaces in 4 downtown districts, and prioritizes interventions according to the following factors: type of space, degree of opportunity, timing of interventions, financial effort required and equitable distribution between the various districts.

“For the past few years, temporary and semi-permanent initiatives have been taking place on a case-by-case basis in the downtown area, without being articulated around a coherent overall vision. This ambitious plan identifies 60 spaces with high development potential, and enables us to optimize the resources of downtown stakeholders so that future installations contribute fully to the attractiveness and dynamism of Downtown Montreal,” said Glenn Castanheira, General Manager of Montréal centre-ville.

The action plan is part of the Downtown Strategy unveiled by the City of Montreal last January. It pays particular attention to emblematic neighborhoods such as the Quartier des gares and the Quartier international, proposing customized, high value-added actions to enhance these areas.

“Montreal has always been known for its public squares. This plan reflects our ongoing commitment to draw inspiration from the world’s best design practices to contribute to downtown’s vibrancy and vitality,” said Steve Potvin, Senior Director of Stantec’s Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Studio. “We offer a practical, flexible and accessible toolbox that will help guide design decisions and draw the full potential from the diversity of downtown’s outdoor spaces, with the utmost respect for the heritage, history and environment of each location.“

In short, this strategic plan represents a crucial step in the renaissance of downtown Montreal, providing a clear and inspiring roadmap for stakeholders committed to creating a more inclusive, dynamic and resilient city.

Read the strategic plan

About Montréal centre-ville

Founded in 1999, the Business Improvement District (BID) Montréal centre-ville is a non-profit organization with close to 5,000 member businesses located between Atwater Avenue and Saint-Urbain Street, and between Sherbrooke Street and Saint-Antoine Street. It is the largest organization of its kind in Canada. 

About Stantec

Founded in Canada in 1954, Stantec is a world leader in sustainable design and engineering, with 30,000 employees in 450 offices on six continents.

 In Quebec, Stantec is active in all of the following fields: buildings, telecommunications, water, energy, earth sciences and resources, transportation and urban development. The firm offers services in engineering, urban planning, landscape architecture, environment and project management. Its 1,600 engineers, professionals, designers, project managers and technicians carry out projects from concept to commissioning, including site management.

Stantec is listed on the Toronto (TSX) and New York (NYSE) stock exchanges under the symbol STN. 

Source: Montréal centre-ville 

Information : Dany St-Jean, cell. : 514-212-5457.