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http://www.playthecity.nl/ Play the City Play the City uses gaming to engage multiple stakeholders in resolving complex urban challenges. Changing the way we engage stakeholders, Play the City designs physical games as a method for collaborative decision making and conflict resolution. We tailor our games according to the questions of our clients. These can relate to large urban projects, refugee camps, violence prevention and other multi-stakeholder challenges societies face. We use gaming as a problem-solving method bringing top down decision makers together with bottom up stakeholders. In the accessible environment of games, freed from the jargons, various ideas, plans and projects meet, conflict and collaborate towards negotiated outcomes. We believe gaming is the real alternative to standard formats of public consultation in the 21st century. Our method has been acknowledged internationally and has been implemented for large-scale projects in Amsterdam, Istanbul, Brussels and Cape Town. You can gain more insight by clicking our projects page. sent via Tapatalk

https://www.facebook.com/archibranches About Animation : Marc-André B. Carignan Production : AGLA Médias www.aglamedias.com Description Grands artisans de l'effervescence de nos cités, les architectes modèlent notre cadre de vie et lèguent une identité, une singularité à nos paysages urbains. Archi-Branchés tient à rendre hommage à ces hommes et femmes visionnaires, trop ignorés du grand public. À travers l'odyssée du journaliste Marc-André B. Carignan, le magazine convie à l'exploration des grands projets immobiliers, les plus novateurs du Québec. Chaque émission est ainsi consacrée à un architecte et à la visite exhaustive de sa dernière création. Une approche originale qui sonde ses inspirations, questionne son imaginaire et sa vision de la ville de demain. Une formidable opportunité pour le public de s'imprégner de leur ingéniosité, de leur avant-gardisme, mais aussi de mieux saisir les enjeux cruciaux en matière d'habitat et d'urbanisme. Chaque épisode d'Archi-Branchés représente bien plus qu'une visite de bâtiment, il propose plutôt d'en dresser une véritable biographie. Quel est l'historique du site, du quartier ? Quel est le rayonnement culturel, social ou économique de l’œuvre sur son environnement ? Quelles sont les pistes de développement envisageables ? C'est toute la portée spatio-temporelle du monument qui est ainsi mise en scène. Le portrait du projet ne se limite pas au cadre de sa silhouette : il en trace les perspectives et raconte son histoire. Basic Info [TABLE=class: _5e7- profileInfoTable _3stn, width: 376] <tbody>[TR] [TH=class: label]Created[/TH] [TD=class: data]2013[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Genre[/TH] [TD=class: data]Magazine[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Network[/TH] [TD=class: data]Canal Savoir[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Season[/TH] [TD=class: data]I[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Starring[/TH] [TD=class: data]Marc-André B. Carignan[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Directed By[/TH] [TD=class: data]Marie-Claude Gervais[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH=class: label]Written By[/TH] [TD=class: data]Lloyd Pasqualetti, d'après une idée originale de Lisa-Marie Lampron[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [TD=colspan: 2] [/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE] Contact Info [TABLE=class: _5e7- profileInfoTable _3stn, width: 376] <tbody>[TR] [TH=class: label]Website[/TH] [TD=class: data]http://www.aglamedias.com[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: spacer] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]

http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/city-life/324311/montreal-je-tadore Montréal, je t'adore 10 years ago, I went to Montreal for the first time on a whim. I was 20 years old, living in Ottawa and working for the Canadian government when I had just found out that my mother had breast cancer. Right after I received this upsetting news, a French Canadian guy - who I’d only met a few weeks earlier - invited me to hang out with him in Montreal. I was in such an emotional state that I decided to risk it and go spend time with someone I barely knew and have him show me his city. From that day forward, I fell madly in love with Montreal (not the boy, though - we remained friends and thankfully my mom recovered from cancer shortly after). I have gone back every few years since then, including spending three weeks in a French immersion program, just a few years after my first visit. When I returned to the city last week with my husband and son, I was reminded why I love Montreal. Here are my ten favourite things - in no particular order - about North America’s coolest city. Bikes - Montreal was one of the first cities in North America to establish a public bike sharing system with its Bixi bikes. The system was launched on May 12, 2009, and currently has 450 stations around Montreal’s central core. The city has embraced bike lanes and bike infrastructure ever since. It’s King/de la Commune station, with 110 docking points, is the biggest bike sharing station in North America. You will find people of all ages and backgrounds on bikes…like this guy:image Street art - Montreal is home to many talented street artists - and it shows, especially around the Plateau/Mont Royal area, which is bursting with colourful, impressive street murals. The city supports these artists through the recently launched MURAL festival. It is a free art festival that aims to celebrate urban art and graffiti painting, sculpture and installations, dance, music, film, and performance. The second edition took place in June on the famous Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Each festival brings new street murals to the neighbourhood. I could write a whole post on Montreal street art (and I probably will).image Advanced walk signals - In some Montreal intersections, pedestrians actually get to proceed on a green light BEFORE cars! A brilliant show of respect for people and a great way to promote safe walkable cities. Babies - I noticed everyone loves babies in Montreal. In Vancouver, people without children tend to avoid eye contact with me/pretend I don’t exist. In Montreal, everyone smiles and wants to help you when you have a child- from grandmas to young male hipsters. In all of the restaurants we went to, people never seemed to mind if my son was fussy or needed tending to. One male server even offered to watch him while my husband and I shopped on St.Denis Street. I’m pretty sure he was joking, but he mentioned that he also has children (and he was under 30). Maybe it is because Quebec’s fertility rate is higher than the Canadian average, but there appeared to be a lot of young families there. Public spaces - Montreal has many fun, creative public spaces - parklets, green laneways, urban forests, public swings, and as I mentioned before, spectacular street art. Here is a shipping container converted into a pleasant seating area:image Festivals and Culture - I remember when I was staying in Montreal for a French immersion program, it was July and the streets were constantly being closed off for some big party, complete with concerts, fireworks, outdoor movies, fashion shows, drum circles and more - Tam Tam at Mont Royal, The Indy, The Festival du Mode et Design, The Comedy Festival, The Festival du Jazz. Of course at the time I found this amazing, because festivals of this scale were so rare in my hometown of Vancouver. We may finally be catching up, but nobody throws a party like Montreal. Whimsy - When I walk around Montreal, I don’t see a city of monotonous glass towers. There are little bits of whimsy all around, like purple accents on heritage buildings, a bold red staircase on a rowhome, street trees made of ribbon, amusing murals, and even garbage cans made to look like maple syrup containers. Montrealers definitely have a sense of fun.image Mid rise buildings/row homes - You can walk down some streets in Montreal and forget you are in a city. I loved getting off the main roads and finding myself on a quiet street surrounded by lush trees and row homes, very much like New York. The city also seems to prefer mid-rise buildings to high-rise towers. Bilingualism and Multiculturalism: Montreal is one of the rare cities where people speak two languages - French and English - and that is a beautiful thing. To be able to walk into a store or restaurant and have the option of being served in French, English, or a bit of both, is a treat for me as I continue to work on improving my French skills. The city is also home to many different ethnicities - from Portuguese to Chinese to Italian and Haitian. On my last visit, I loved spending time in Little Portugal on upper St Laurent St, where I bought a lucky Portuguese rooster and ate an enormous roast chicken sandwich and egg tart. Style: Many Canadian clothing brands got their start in Montreal, such as Jacob and Le Chateau, and the city is home to several clothing designers and manufacturers. Montrealers have a sense of style that is bold and eclectic. This makes for great shopping (especially around the Mont Royal area) and people watching. As one Montrealer states: In Montreal, dressing in what makes you feel awesome and sexy, no matter how outlandish, is just a normal part of life. Thinking of cutting off the arms of an old fur coat and wearing them as legwarmers? Great idea! Want to max out the use of your Dracula Halloween costume by rocking a floor-length cape year-round? By all means, please do! You can understand why Cirque du Soleil had to come from Quebec and nowhere else. Walkable. Bikeable. Hip. Fun. Stylish. Edgy. If I haven’t already convinced you of Montreal’s effortless cool and fun-loving ways, you should go and see for yourself why it’s one of the best cities in the world.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Obituary+David+Azrieli+touched+many+parts+society/10014707/story.html By Paul Delean, THE GAZETTE European-born David Azrieli, who fled the Nazis as a teenager, fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and then found fortune in Canada, died Wednesday at age 92. According to Forbes magazine, the Montreal-based real-estate developer and businessman was one of the richest Canadians with an estimated worth of $3.1 billion. He also was one of the most generous, contributing more than $100 million to philanthropic causes around the world, many of them in the fields of medical research, education and the arts. “It’s a great loss,” said Susan Laxer, president of local Jewish organization Federation CJA. “He literally changed the landscape in Israel with his office towers and architecture, and with his philanthropy, he touched many parts of our society and community. Through his legacy, he’ll continue to touch the lives of many people.” Norma Joseph, professor of religion and associate-director of the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University, described him as “a formidable person, very strong-minded. And he used his mind for a wonderful vision of community and building.” The institute got its start in 2011 with funding provided by the family foundation, “but he did more than give money. He also gave his personal time and effort,” Joseph said. Born into a Jewish family in Poland, Azrieli escaped ahead of the Nazi occupation and kept moving, winding up in British Mandate Palestine in 1942. He studied architecture at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and fought in Israel’s war of independence before settling in Canada in 1954. In a rare 1973 interview with the Montreal Star, he said he arrived here with no family connections and “literally, penniless.” “Nobody gave me anything,” he said. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Université de Montréal and working at a number of jobs, he had enough saved for his first solo project in 1957, construction of four duplexes on vacant lots he purchased in Ville D’Anjou. It was the start of a real-estate juggernaut that would eventually include thousands of apartment units, office buildings and shopping centres in Canada, the U.S. and Israel. Among his local holdings is the downtown Dominion Square Building housing The Gazette, acquired for $78.25 million in 2005, and the Sofitel Hotel. The Azrieli Group also held interests in companies active in the fields of energy, water and finance. He remained its chairman until last week when daughter Danna succeeded him, a move prompted by his medical condition. A sometimes controversial figure, Azrieli made headlines in the 1970s when he razed the former Van Horne Mansion on Sherbrooke St. and erected a 17-storey office tower on the site. In 1984, he sued The Gazette for libel over an editorial about a local development, but lost. “From the times of the pyramids to those of the skyscrapers, the works of architects and builders have been monuments to their glory or to their shame,” Superior Court Judge Paul Reeves said. “They build before the public eye and the public rightfully says whether it likes or dislikes what it sees.” In his later years, Azrieli split his residency between Israel and Westmount. “I have two homelands,” he once said, “two places that I love and where I have been blessed to do what I love best.” Active in and supportive of Jewish causes throughout his lifetime, he served as president of the Canadian Zionist Federation and in 2008 authored a book called Rekindling the Torch: The Story of Canadian Zionism, which told the story of the contribution of Canadian Jews and non-Jews to establishment of the state of Israel and their continuing support for the country. He also made Holocaust remembrance a personal crusade after it took from him two siblings and both parents. “This is my vision, to be able to use the tangible rewards of my career in building and construction to create a legacy for education and educational institutions in both of my homelands,” he said. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Azrieli also was a “chevalier” of the Ordre National du Québec. Married for 57 years to Stephanie Lefcort, he had four children: Rafael, Sharon, Naomi and Danna. He died surrounded by family at his country home in Ivry-sur-le-Lac, Que. pdelean@montrealgazette.com

Le Cirque Éloize a imaginé des projets d’animation du parc Jean-Drapeau en vue du 50e de l’Exposition universelle 25 février 2014 | Frédérique Doyon | Actualités culturelles Le Devoir La Biosphère pourrait faire l’objet d’une mise en lumière permanente à l’instar de la tour Eiffel. L’idée fait partie d’un bouquet de propositions pour animer le parc Jean-Drapeau, à l’occasion du 50e anniversaire de l’Exposition universelle en 2017, a appris Le Devoir. La Société du parc Jean- Drapeau (SPJD) a mandaté le Cirque Éloize pour mettre sur pied une table de concertation afin d’imaginer des programmations spécifiques pour le site des îles Notre-Dame et Sainte-Hélène, en vue du 50e de l’Expo, mais qui se déploieront dans le cadre du 375e anniversaire de Montréal. L’exercice s’articule autour de sept grandes orientations pour dynamiser le site à long terme. Chaque orientation a donné lieu à des idées bien concrètes, inspirées de ce qui se fait ailleurs dans le monde. L’illumination du fameux dôme géodésique de l’architecte Richard Buckminster Fuller, icône de l’Expo, est l’une des idées proposées pour remettre en valeurs les icônes architecturales de l’Expo, un des axes de développement abordés dans le rapport qui n’a pas encore été rendu public, mais dont Le Devoir a eu un aperçu. Une autre proposition consiste à doter le parc de bateaux-péniches de services (hôtellerie, restauration, etc.) sur les bords du fleuve. Un concept similaire, qui existe à Amsterdam et à Paris, est l’une des idées soumises au chapitre de la réappropriation du fleuve. Il faudra attendre avant de savoir quelles recommandations seront retenues. La direction de la SPJD doit d’abord déposer le rapport à son conseil d’administration, puis à la Ville et à la Société des célébrations du 375e anniversaire de Montréal. Car ces propositions se joindront à l’ensemble du programme du double anniversaire — voire triple, puisqu’il coïncide aussi avec le 150e de la Confédération canadienne. Et le budget de ce programme d’animation n’est pas encore attaché. Il s’articulera à l’ambitieux programme d’aménagement du parc déjà connu, qui vise à revitaliser quatre secteurs clés au coût de 55 millions de dollars : la Place des Nations, la construction d’une promenade riveraine panoramique de trois kilomètres le long du Saint-Laurent, la création d’un espace d’accueil autour du métro et l’aménagement du Parterre de l’île Sainte-Hélène — où se déroule le festival Osheaga — pour accueillir confortablement 45 000 personnes. Le parc Jean-Drapeau est le premier grand parc public montréalais (constitué en 1874, avant le mont Royal), et jouit depuis 2007 du statut de site patrimonial. Le projet de valorisation et de développement Horizon 2017 totalise 159,7 millions de dollars étalés depuis 2012, jusqu’en 2017.

MONTRÉAL, le 28 février 2011 - Au nom de la ministre de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine, Mme Christine St-Pierre, le député de Marquette, M. François Ouimet, la responsable de la culture, du patrimoine, du design et de la condition féminine au comité exécutif de la Ville de Montréal, Mme Helen Fotopulos, ainsi que le maire de l'arrondissement de Lachine, M. Claude Dauphin, annoncent l'investissement de 10, 9 M$ pour le réaménagement et l'agrandissement de la bibliothèque Saul-Bellow dans l'arrondissement de Lachine. Ce projet est financé dans le cadre de l'Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal. Le coût global de ce projet, qui s'inscrit dans le programme de rénovation, d'agrandissement et de construction de bibliothèques (RAC), est de 10,9 M$. La Ville et le ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine (MCCCF) investiront chacun 4,3 M$, tandis que l'arrondissement injectera près de 2,3 M$. L'ouverture de la bibliothèque agrandie et rénovée est prévue pour le printemps 2013. Soulignons que durant les travaux, les services offerts aux citoyens seront maintenus, mais temporairement relocalisés au sein de l'arrondissement. « Je suis très fier d'être ici aujourd'hui pour annoncer ce beau projet pour les citoyens de Lachine, qui permettra à la bibliothèque Saul-Bellow d'être un pôle culturel plus attrayant et accessible. Cette réalisation, où battra le cœur de Lachine, a été rendue possible grâce à un engagement commun pris lors du Rendez-vous novembre 2007 - Montréal, métropole culturelle. Le concours d'architecture associé à ce projet offre une occasion privilégiée de se surpasser et de viser l'excellence. L'effervescence de notre communauté passe indéniablement par l'accès à un lieu de savoir et de culture vaste et diversifié », a souligné M. François Ouimet. « Les bibliothèques représentent en quelque sorte le cœur d'un quartier. Véritables lieux de rencontre, elles donnent accès à la culture et au savoir à ceux qui les fréquentent. Les citoyens de Lachine pourront profiter d'une bibliothèque agrandie, modernisée et axée sur les besoins des familles. Aujourd'hui, notre Administration démontre, encore une fois, qu'elle est résolue à consolider Montréal comme ville de savoir et comme métropole culturelle », a déclaré Mme Fotopulos. « Je suis heureux d'annoncer ce projet de réaménagement et d'agrandissement de la bibliothèque Saul-Bellow puisqu'il s'agit d'un investissement direct qui permettra d'offrir aux citoyens de Lachine une bibliothèque moderne, attrayante, fonctionnelle et ouverte à sa communauté. Ce projet vise à combler l'important déficit de l'arrondissement en matière d'offre de service, tant sur les plans qualitatifs que normatifs. Il permettra de plus, de consolider un pôle culturel et social au cœur de l'arrondissement de Lachine », a affirmé M. Claude Dauphin. Ce projet a été retenu par la Ville et le MCCCF sur la base de critères spécifiques, soit : l'écart par rapport aux normes qui avait été rendu public dans le Diagnostic des bibliothèques municipales de l'île de Montréal, la volonté de l'arrondissement de s'engager financièrement, ainsi que la faisabilité et la qualité du projet. Architecture, développement durable et art publicLa future bibliothèque Saul-Bellow intégrera le bâtiment existant (1427 m2) et un ajout d'environ 1194 m2. Une fois les travaux terminés, la superficie de la bibliothèque aura presque doublée. La conception de la bibliothèque fait l'objet d'un concours d'architecture qui contribuera à consolider le statut de Montréal Ville UNESCO de design. Ce nouvel équipement culturel vise une certification environnementale LEED OR. L'appel de candidatures pour le concours d'architecture, qui se déroulera en deux étapes, a été lancé le 16 février dernier. Un jury formé de sept membres recommandera à la Ville de Montréal et à l'arrondissement de Lachine sept finalistes parmi les architectes qui auront déposé leur dossier de candidature. Les sept finalistes retenus présenteront ensuite un concept sur la base duquel l'équipe lauréate sera choisie. Les membres du jury sont : monsieur Patrice Poulin, architecte, PA LEED et gestionnaire immobilier à la Direction des stratégies et des transactions immobilières de la Ville de Montréal; monsieur Alex Polevoy, directeur - Culture, sports, loisirs et développement social, au sein de l'arrondissement de Lachine; madame Julie-Anne Cardella, directrice de la bibliothèque de Westmount; monsieur Daniel Pearl, architecte et professeur à l'Université de Montréal; madame Louise Bédard, architecte; monsieur Maxime Frappier, architecte; madame Anne Carrier, architecte, et monsieur Charles Ferland, architecte et membre suppléant. Selon la Politique d'intégration des arts à l'architecture et à l'environnement des bâtiments et des sites gouvernementaux et publics du gouvernement du Québec, la Ville procèdera en 2012 à un concours d'art public sur invitation visant à doter la bibliothèque Saul-Bellow d'une œuvre. Rappelons que cette politique consiste à réserver un pourcentage de l'ordre de 1% du budget de construction à la réalisation d'une ou de plusieurs œuvres conçues spécifiquement pour ce lieu. La réalisation du projet d'oeuvre d'art sera gérée par la Division des équipements culturels, de l'art public et du patrimoine artistique par l'entremise de son Bureau d'art public. http://www.montreal2025.com/communique.php?id=1344&lang=fr

Excellent texte de François Cardinal (de La Presse) sur pourquoi Montréal devrait avoir un statut spécial : Manifesto for a city-state Montreal has paid the price for being treated like just another region. Quebec’s economic hub deserves better. François Cardinal Policy Options, November 2013 Far from being a land of forests, plains and prairies, Canada is an urban country. Nearly 70 percent of the population lives in urban centres and more than 90 percent of demographic growth is concentrated in those metropolitan areas. These proportions put Canada at the top of the world’s most urbanized nations. And yet all of Canada’s cities, from Montreal to Toronto, Calgary and even Ottawa, are neglected by federal and provincial political parties. They are short-changed by electoral maps. All are forced by the provinces to labour under a tax system that dates from the horse-and-buggy age. All are relegated to the status of lowly “creatures” subject to the whims and dictates of higher levels of government. It’s as if the country has not yet come to terms with the changes it has undergone since its founding. “Cities do not exist under the Constitution, since it was drawn up in 1867 when we were a rural, agricultural country,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi pointed out when I interviewed him at City Hall. “But today the country is highly urbanized, a fact that, unfortunately, is not reflected in the relations higher levels of government maintain with the cities.” The 2011 federal election offered a good example of this oversight. Every party targeted the “regions,” those wide-open spaces of rural and small-town Canada. The Conservatives’ slogan in French was “Notre région au pouvoir” [Our region in power]. The Liberals cited “rural Canada” as a priority but barely mentioned urban Canada. The Bloc used the slogan “Parlons régions” [Let’s talk about regions] but had no urban equivalent for the metropolis. More critically, the parties felt compelled to appeal to voters in the regions by positioning themselves in opposition to the cities. The most glaring instance came during the French leaders’ debate, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper castigated Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff over his promise to build a new Champlain Bridge. “I would not take Mr. Ignatieff’s approach and divert money from the regions to finance infrastructure for Montreal,” Harper said. The Liberals were not much better. They pledged to develop a plan for public transportation but never specified what it would look like. They promised support for social housing but said they would take the money out of funds for urban infrastructure. The reason for this is not rocket science. With the big-city vote so thoroughly predictable, the parties focus on rural areas or the suburbs where they believe their policies might swing votes. They rarely target the city centres. At the provincial level, the situation is pretty much the same. In fact, the Quebec government was able to relieve Montreal of its “metropolis” title and its dedicated ministry nearly 10 years ago without raising eyebrows. Thus Montreal became just one “region” among all the rest: Administrative Region 06. In the 2012 election in Quebec, Montreal did move up a notch. There was more discussion about the city. But since then, unfortunately, good intentions have been replaced by a charter of Quebec values, which has been broadly criticized in Montreal. Imposing it confirms the implicit trusteeship under which the government rules the metropolis. But even more than urban centres elsewhere in the country, Quebec’s parties have limited reason to take an interest in the city. Montreal is either politically safe (for the provincial Liberals) or a lost cause (for the Parti Québécois). In short, Quebec is no different from other Canadian provinces in treating its major city like a big village that must be attended to, certainly, but not more than any other municipality. The cost of showing the city favour is to risk losing precious votes in rural areas. But major cities are no longer the same municipalities they were in the past. Today, Montreal and Toronto are expected to compete with Paris and New York. They are expected to attract and hold onto businesses, court foreign creative talent, draw more private investment and deliver more and more services to residents, from social housing to public transportation. Providing support services for recent immigrants, developing the knowledge-based economy, building social housing, dealing with antigovernment demonstrations and adapting to climate change are all responsibilities that now fall to cities. They are nothing like the urban “creatures” of the 19th century. Lucien Bouchard could not have been more clear when he said in his 1996 inauguration speech after being elected premier: “There can be no economic recovery in Quebec without a recovery in Quebec’s metropolis.” For once, it appeared the government of Quebec was going to recognize Montreal’s special character and grant it preferential treatment. “The complexity of the city’s problems calls for special treatment and even, I would say, for the creation of a specific metropolitan authority,” Bouchard continued. It seemed as if he was about to usher in an exciting new era. There was now a minister responsible for “the metropolis.” A development commission was set up for the Montreal metropolitan area and it was to be invested with significant powers. A true decentralization of power was in the offing. An economic development agency, Montréal International, was created at this time, as was the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT). But just when it appeared Montreal was going to receive special attention and treatment, the government’s old habits returned with a vengeance. Like a parent who has given too much to one child, the Quebec government decided to restore the balance by giving to the regions with its left hand what it had given Montreal with its right. A local and regional development support policy was introduced in 1997. Then the Ministry of Regions was created and local development centres set up. A few months later, they added government measures for the province’s three metropolitan areas and then, finally, measures for all urban areas. “The reforms demonstrate, once again, the government’s efforts to address Montreal’s specificity without neglecting the needs of the rest of Quebec,” political scientist Mariona Tomàs explained in her fine book Penser métropolitain? But the result was a government policy similar to the previous ones, an across-the-board approach based on a view of Quebec as a collection of communities, rather than a province organized around its main economic hub. “The government’s desire to maintain a territorial balance can be seen in the powers of metropolitan structures,” Tomàs observed. “The law provided the same types of powers for all the urban communities created in 1969, and then for all the metropolitan communities in 2000.” Giving the rural Outaouais region the same powers as Greater Montreal reduces the latter to just one region among many. To this way of political thinking, the metropolis must not be allowed to overshadow any other town, must not be given too much. It cannot receive more attention than others, and cannot be elevated above any other. Canada’s “hub cities,” those few major urban centres like Montreal, are the drivers of economic activity in the country. That was the conclusion of a recent Conference Board study, which pointed to the collateral benefits of a thriving metropolis. It found that strong growth in metropolitan areas spurs growth in neighbouring communities and then in the whole province. But how can Montreal play its role as an economic driver if it is not treated as such? We need only look outside the country to be convinced that we need to roll out the red carpet for the metropolis: to the United States, where big cities have the attention of the country’s leaders; to Asia, where the treatment of major centres sometimes borders on obsessiveness; or even to France, a country that, like Quebec, is marked by a deep divide between “the metropolis” and “the provinces.” France provided a telling illustration of this awareness in early 2013, a few months after François Hollande’s Socialist government took office. Although France was in dire straits, burdened by crushing public debt and being forced to reconsider the fate of its precious social programs, Hollande did not think twice about launching a project of heroic proportions to relieve congestion in Paris. The price tag: the equivalent of $35 billion for a brand new “super metro,” plus $10 billion to extend and upgrade the existing system. Was this completely crazy? On the contrary. Hollande was being logical and visionary. France understands the importance of investing in its metropolis. This is a country that is ready to look after its towns and villages, while not being afraid to give Paris preferential treatment. “A strong Paris is in the interest of the provinces,” commented L’Express magazine in March 2013. Quite so. The article notes, for example, that much of the income generated in Paris is actually spent in the rest of the country. All financial roads — tourism, commuting for work, national redistribution, whatever — all lead to Paris, with benefits to the provinces. L’Express cites the case of Eurodisney to illustrate. Disney had hesitated before settling on building its amusement park in Paris — not between contending French cities, but between Paris and Barcelona. Herein lie the value and importance for the entire country of having a strong metropolis. “Weakening Paris would slow France’s locomotive,” argued L’Express. “And in a train, the cars seldom move faster than the locomotive.” Clearly, what Montreal needs is special treatment, more autonomy and more diverse sources of revenue. In short, it needs a premier who will stand on the balcony of City Hall and proclaim: “Vive Montréal! Vive Montréal libre!” Worryingly, the current state of affairs in Montreal — the revelations and insinuations of political corruption and collusion — is prompting many observers to call for the Quebec government to take the opposite tack and tighten the city’s reins. According to this view, more provincial government involvement is needed to check the city’s propensity for vice. But in fact the only way to make the city more responsible and more accountable is to give it greater power, wider latitude and more money. Montreal’s problem is that it has all the attributes of a metropolis but is treated as an ordinary municipality, subservient to the big boss, the provincial government. Its masters are the minister of municipal affairs, the minister’s colleagues at other departments involved in the city’s affairs and, of course, the premier. Montreal is under implicit trusteeship. This encourages, even promotes a lack of accountability on the part of the municipal administration, which is only half in charge. “It’s not complicated: Montreal is currently a no man’s land of accountability,” says Denis Saint-Martin, political science professor at the Université de Montréal. “There is a political and organizational immaturity problem, which explains the political irresponsibility we have seen in recent years. Montreal needs more power, not less. Montreal needs to be more accountable, more answerable.” Essentially, the metropolis needs to be treated like one, with the powers and revenues that go along with city status. Montreal is a beggar riding in a limousine. Invariably, after a municipal election, the incoming mayor announces a wish list and then gets the chauffeur to drive him up provincial Highway 20 to Quebec City to knock on the provincial government’s door with outstretched hands, hoping for a little largesse. Montreal’s mayor has to beg because the past offloading of responsibilities for delivering services to citizens onto the municipality has not been accompanied by new money. “In Quebec, the province is responsible for much of the regulatory apparatus under which cities operate, which the cities feel restricts their autonomy,” said political scientist Laurence Bherer in 2004, speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Université Laval political science department. “And far from decreasing in recent years, provincial intervention has spread to a variety of areas such as the environment and public security, further relegating the cities to the role of operative rather than architect.” It is unacceptable for the provincial government to be the “operator” of a metropolis. That is why municipalities are rightfully seeking greater autonomy and greater freedom of action from their provincial masters. This is what is starting to happen in other provinces: in Alberta, with its Municipal Government Act, with British Columbia’s Community Charter and especially in Ontario, with the City of Toronto Act, which reads in part: “The [Ontario Legislative] Assembly recognizes that the City of Toronto, as Ontario’s capital city, is an economic engine of Ontario and of Canada.” The Ontario government appears to understand the special role Toronto plays in the wider economy. The City of Toronto Act goes on to say, “The Assembly recognizes that the City plays an important role in creating and supporting economic prosperity and a high quality of life for the people of Ontario [and] that the City is a government that is capable of exercising its powers in a responsible and accountable fashion.” Quebec’s largest city deserves similar treatment: strict accountability in exchange for recognition of its status as an autonomous government and the ability to tap more diverse sources of revenue. Indeed the main reason Montreal is regularly forced to pass the hat in Quebec City is its heavy dependence on property taxes for its income. As a creature of the province, it still operates under the good-old British tax model that sees it derive the bulk of its revenues — 67 percent — from property taxes. This was not a problem a hundred years ago, when Montreal provided only property services to its residents. But its responsibilities have expanded. The standards imposed by Quebec City have proliferated, and the portion of the budget allocated for services to individuals has grown considerably. Yet its tax base remains just as dependent on a single sector: real estate. This situation has a huge drawback. The City does not share the economic benefits that it generates. It might well pour money into the Formula One Grand Prix and summer festivals, invest in attracting conventions and tourists, renovate public spaces to make the urban environment more attractive and friendly. But it will get not a penny back. On the contrary: these investments only increase the city’s expenses in maintenance, security and infrastructure, while the federal and provincial governments reap the sales taxes. Take the city’s jazz festival. Montreal has to pay for security, site maintenance, public transportation to bring visitors to the site, and must deal with the event’s impact on traffic. In return, it gets happy festival-goers and tourists who spend money, stay at hotels, eat at restaurants — and fill provincial and federal coffers with sales tax revenues. They enrich the governments in Quebec City and in Ottawa, but not Montreal, which picks up the tab for the costs. The result is that the hole into which large cities are quietly sinking gets deeper. Big-city economies are dematerializing. The knowledge-based economy, in which Montreal shines, is based on innovation, research and brains, not factories. But for now, grey matter is not subject to property tax. Add to the mix an aging population with more modest housing needs, the increase in teleworking, self-employment and e-commerce, and you have a Montreal that is not only under implicit administrative trusteeship but also in an increasingly precarious financial position. And then people wonder why our metropolis is not playing the role it should be playing. another region. Quebec’s economic hub deserves better.

The jury members are: - Melvin Charney, architect; - Odile Decq, architect and Director of the École Spéciale d'Architecture, Paris; - Jacques Des Rochers, Curator of Canadian Art, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts; - Michel Dionne, architect, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, New York; - Raphaël Fischler, urban planner and professor at the School of Urban Planning, McGill University; - Mario Masson, landscape architect and Division Manager, Service du développement culturel, de la qualité du milieu de vie et de la diversité ethnoculturelle, Ville de Montréal; - Alessandra Ponte, associate professor, School of Architecture, Université de Montréal; - Philippe Poullaouec-Gonidec, landscape architect and holder of the UNESCO Chair in Landscape and Environmental Design at Université de Montréal. Instructions for prospective entrants (Courtesy of CNW Telbec)

A 45 - acre comprehensive, master planned office campus on Nuns' Island. This multi-phased office complex is geared to those tenants looking for the quality environment offered in suburban locations but with the benefits of a site located just five minutes from Montreal's central business district. Availabilities range from 50,000 sq.ft. to 500,000 sq.ft. in various configurations, all of which will be LEED certified. With the arrival of Bell Canada on Nuns' Island, public transportation has improved with investments in infrastructure being made by various governmental authorities; the neighborhood is poised for even more development. Companies such a Yellow Pages, Multi-prêt, Bombardier Recreational Products and the Bank of Canada continue to enjoy the exceptional office environment that Nuns' Island has to offer with its abundant retail offerings, bike paths, nature walks and lush landscaped public areas.

Du Globe and Mail In Montreal, delicate design gestures help us forget the big scandals By day and by night, there are adults flying through the air at Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles on oversize, colourful swings. Streams of cyclists whip by on dedicated bike paths. Warmed by the spring sunshine, students and gallerygoers lounge on the steps at Place des Arts, where the joys of museum, opera and symphony are recognized with fortissimo. It would seem that everything is just as it should be in Montreal, where bonhomie thrives and an art has been made of small-scale urban architecture. In the leafy neighbourhood of Saint-Louis, where many artists have made their homes, the ghost of architect Luc Laporte lives on. From an 1880s commercial building on Rue St. Denis, he punched a generous, rounded arch through the masonry to connect his instant landmark bistro directly to the street; rather than depending on loud signage, he preferred to emphasize the building as sign. L’Express is a classic, with a heated, black-and-white tiled front terrace, still beloved – still packed – 33 years after he designed it. But the sweetness of the small architectural intervention is sadly being offset these days by the weight of large public works gone wrong. The corruption charges levelled against Montreal politicians have contaminated the reputation of the venerable metropolis. Last October, the city froze all non-essential public-works projects following widespread allegations of impropriety. With more arrests being made and former mayor Gérald Tremblay now ousted from office, it’s as if a slick of toxic oil is creeping along the streets, darkening the large civic projects touched by city builders and the SNC-Lavalin engineering firm. The Montreal-based global entity had its tentacles in many of the big public-sector works in the city, including the Maison Symphonique, with its handsome wood-lined concert hall but bargain-basement public lobbies; the shiny new planetarium on the eastern edge of the city; and the still-incomplete McGill University Health Centre hospital, a massive behemoth, estimated to cost $2.35-billion, and as ugly as its multilevel parking garage. It’s impossible to travel through these facilities without contemplating what troubling scenarios might have gone on. For now, then, it’s the modest, meaningful works of architecture and joyous pop-up landscapes that are left standing with integrity fully intact. Like the fans of L’Express, Montrealers are right to turn to them as places that citizens can depend on. In the open, and often under the open sky, is where the healing can begin. When, during last weekend’s Portes Ouvertes, I walked the city’s streets touring dozens of young architecture firms and funky design studios in former textile warehouses, the joy of their public-space work was intoxicating. Wanted, a two-person landscape-architecture firm, finds its motivation in the power of design to effect social change – or simply to contribute more urban comfort and delight. Last summer on Victoria Street, next to the McCord Museum of Canadian History, Paula Meijerink and Thierry Beaudoin installed an urban forest of cushy carpets of purple turf, artificial palm pavilions and curvey benches. People lounged with friends; couples posed among the outlandish neon set piece for their wedding pictures. This month, alongside the McCord, Wanted installs a temporary urban forest – ash trees with their root balls in massive sacks. Further east at Quartier des Spectacles, the colourful swings, suspended from white steel box frames, have been custom-designed by a six-person studio called Daily tous les jours. Back by popular demand for a third summer, 21 Balançoires (check out the video at vimeo.com/40980676), notes studio principal Mouna Andraos, comes complete with a musical score: The more people swing, the more intricate the melody becomes. The studio has also produced massive sing-a-longs at fairgrounds outside of Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Dallas, offering large microphones and Auto-Tune to evoke decent collective sound. An installation of projections and sound that they hope will inspire audiences to move like the stars or the Earth is being prepared by Daily tous les jours for the $48-million planetarium. The planetarium’s design features rounded, wood-clad cinemas that push out on the upper levels as aluminum-clad cononical shapes between slanted green roofs. Designed by the city’s competition-winning Cardin Ramirez Julien & Aedifica, with, among other consultants, SNC-Lavalin, the three-level building will help anchor the Olympic grounds. “It’s definitely a shame, the huge problem the city has,” says Andraos, referring to the corruption scandals. “We’re hoping that some of the projects that we do can create exchanges for people in public spaces, and spark a sense of ownership.” In the Plateau district, a group of us – including journalists from international design media; Marie-Josée Lacroix, director of Montreal’s Bureau du design; and Élaine Ayotte, a member of the city’s newly formed executive committee responsible for culture and design – are led on a tour that begins by paying design homage to Laporte, who died in 2012. Heritage advisor Nancy Dunton leads our group to a stunning row of grey limestone townhouses fronting onto genteel Saint-Louis Square. Distinctive black steel railings and simple stone stairs on the Victorian exteriors are the work of Laporte, a man variously described as a bon vivant and a curmudgeon, who was often given commissions by local residents who knew him well. We file into Laporte’s still-functioning live-work studio: At the front, an efficient bar/kitchen – designed with the rigour of a boat’s cabin, complete with built-in cabinets and espresso-maker – sits alongside a work table with shelves lined with historic architecture books. An old photo of the staff at L’Express is propped on the white tile floor. Toward the back of the long, narrow space, Laporte had renovated a horse stable to become his studio, and, past delicate glass doors, a small terrace where vines grow up a brick wall. It was from here that he designed many of Montreal’s most enduring bars and restos, including the elegant Laloux (1980) with its seamless black-steel front entrance and cream-coloured walls of black-framed mirrors; and the high-end housewares boutique Arthur Quentin (1975) with walls and ceiling lined and strapped in plywood. Human-scaled and warm to the touch, these are the places that never stop giving back. They continue to amuse and endure in ways very different from those who choose to become their city‘s laughing stock.

Sur Jeanne-Mance: [video=youtube;mAHF8QsSu-I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAHF8QsSu-I&feature=share&list=UUCm3eAbiTKAowAPMpSdd1Xg

http://mtlunescodesign.com/fr/projet/Portes-Ouvertes-Design-Montreal Montréal est une ville où le design et les designers - qu’ils soient des domaines de l’architecture ou du design d’intérieur, industriel, graphique, ou de la mode - représentent une force dynamique de la vie culturelle et économique. En juin 2006, Montréal a été désignée Ville UNESCO de design et fait désormais partie du Réseau des villes créatives de l'Alliance globale pour la diversité culturelle mis en place par l'UNESCO en 2004. Cette désignation décernée par l’UNESCO, tant sur la base des actifs que du potentiel de développement de la métropole montréalaise en architecture et en design, doit aujourd’hui être comprise et appropriée par les montréalais. La validation du titre Montréal, Ville UNESCO de design auprès des citoyens passe par la poursuite du travail de diffusion, de vulgarisation et de sensibilisation à la qualité en design et en architecture entrepris avec succès depuis 1998 par l’administration municipale au moyen de Commerce Design Montréal. Le concept même des Portes Ouvertes Design Montréal hautement public et accessible, à l’instar des Journées des Musées montréalais ou de la Culture, ou des circuits Commerce Design Montréal, est de faire [re]découvrir le design et les designers aux montréalais de façon à ce qu’ils s’approprient et soient fiers de la désignation UNESCO tout en devenant plus intéressés par ceux et celles qui façonnent leur quotidien. Depuis 2007, le bureau Design Montréal de la Ville de Montréal prend le parti d’ouvrir ces Portes ouvertes la première fin de semaine du mois de mai à toutes les disciplines du design, avec emphase sur celles qui ont un plus grand impact sur le cadre de vie montréalais (design de ville). L’originalité des Portes Ouvertes Design Montréal est de s’appuyer sur une sélection déjà existante de projets et de professionnels montréalais qui, chaque année, se distinguent dans le cadre de prix et concours d’architecture et de design crédibles, nationaux, voire internationaux. Ces lauréats restent trop souvent méconnus du public, la promotion des concours étant souvent limitée à un cercle réduit d’initiés. L’idée des Portes Ouvertes Design Montréal est de mettre fortement en lumière tous ces lauréats montréalais (concepteurs et projets) qui justifient, alimentent et sont les meilleurs ambassadeurs de Montréal Ville UNESCO de design. L’événement a pour but de : développer une culture de la qualité en architecture et en design : sensibiliser, éduquer et élever les exigences des montréalais de façon à créer une plus forte demande pour des projets innovants et de qualité démocratiser l’accès à l’architecture et au design en resituant ces professions et leur production dans le quotidien des montréalais faire découvrir au public les métiers du design et de l’architecture, défaire les préjugés envers ces professions et démontrer la richesse, la diversité et le talent de l’offre montréalaisefaire connaître la récente désignation de Montréal au titre de Ville UNESCO de design, en expliquer les fondements et développer la fierté du public situer l’action de Design Montréal comme une valeur ajoutée pour les organismes du milieu qui contribue au rayonnement de leur concours et à la notoriété de leurs lauréats

Communiqué de presse reçu ce matin: 17h ce soir. Avis à ceux qui veulent aller voir ça. PS: Si vous savez pas qui est Roadsworth, allez voir ça (très original, et très ludique): http://roadsworth.com/home/

http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#city-rankings Montréal figure assez bien pour les infrastructures en 13e position, et devant Toronto. Les infrastructures sont definis comme tel: 'electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transportation, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports'.

VILLE DE MONTRÉAL RÈGLEMENT 12-053 RÈGLEMENT AUTORISANT UN EMPRUNT DE 17 800 000 $ AFIN DE FINANCER LA RÉALISATION DE TRAVAUX D'INFRASTRUCTURES, D'AMÉNAGEMENT ET DE RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DU DOMAINE PUBLIC ET POUR L’ACQUISITION DE MOBILIER URBAIN DANS LE SECTEUR DU PÔLE FRONTENAC Vu l’article 544 de la Loi sur les cités et villes (L.R.Q., chapitre C-19); Attendu que l’emprunt prévu au présent règlement est décrété dans le but d’effectuer des dépenses en immobilisations prévues au programme triennal d’immobilisations de la Ville de Montréal; À l’assemblée du 17 décembre 2012, le conseil de la Ville de Montréal décrète : 1. Un emprunt de 17 800 000 $ est autorisé afin de financer la réalisation de travaux d'infrastructures, d'aménagement et de réaménagement du domaine public et pour l'acquisition de mobilier urbain dans la partie du secteur nommé Pôle Frontenac constituée de la rue Ontario entre l'avenue De Lorimier et la rue Lespérance. 2. Cet emprunt comprend les frais et honoraires d’études, de conception et de surveillance des travaux, les acquisitions d’immeubles et les autres dépenses incidentes et imprévues s’y rapportant. 3. Le terme total de cet emprunt et de ses refinancements ne doit pas excéder 20 ans. 4. Pour pourvoir aux dépenses engagées relativement aux intérêts et au remboursement de capital des échéances annuelles de l'emprunt, il est affecté annuellement à cette fin une portion suffisante des revenus généraux de la Ville de Montréal, conformément aux règles prévues par la Loi sur l’exercice de certaines compétences municipales dans certaines agglomérations (L.R.Q., chapitre E-20.001). 5. Le conseil affecte à la réduction de l’emprunt décrété au présent règlement toute contribution ou subvention qui pourrait être versée pour le paiement d’une partie ou de la totalité de la dépense décrétée par le présent règlement. __________________________ Ce règlement a été promulgué par l'avis public affiché à l'hôtel de ville et publié dans Le Devoir le 5 février 2013.

Sur le site de NEUF (DCYSA). J'ignore où en est ce projet... Remarquez le français irréprochable de la firme et son autonomie face à GoogleTranslate.

Il est grand temps que l'on y voit. Montréal est absent de cette liste, mais quel en est le rang? Singapore en 2011: 17ième rang " en 2012: 1ier " http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/photos/top-megacities-with-the-best-public-transport-slideshow/world-s-best-megacities-for-public-transport-photo-1350542401.html ================================================ Note: Sur cet autre rang mondial, Toronto est absent !!! Top 10: Public Transit Systems http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-public-transit-systems_10.html

MONTREAL - When James Essaris looks out over his flat concrete kingdom of 20 downtown parking lots that he started collecting in 1956, he sees a precious urban resource where others see ugliness. The much-maligned parking lot, long considered an urban eyesore and enemy of public transit, is becoming an increasingly rare feature on the downtown streetscape. Essaris, longtime owner of Stationnement Métropolitain, sees his barren concrete as more than just a chance for him to pocket some cash on the barrelhead: he believes in the good that parking lots do and considers the spaces to be the lungs of downtown commerce. “The City of Montreal should give free parking to come downtown. We’re chasing people out to the shopping centres,” he said. The new parking lot tax was adopted in 2010 and brings in $19 million a year to fund public transit. The tax is determined by a complicated formula that Essaris says in practice makes city taxes about twice as expensive on a surface lot as it would for another type of structure. The city held public hearings on the issue this spring and response to the surface parking eradication campaign — through the new parking tax and allowing larger-scale buildings on the empty lots — was greeted positively, according to City of Montreal Executive Committee member Alan DeSousa. “It brings more money into the city coffers and removes the scars in the downtown area,” he said. He said that some of lost parking spaces have been replaced by indoor parking in the various projects. But after seeing his taxes double in recent years, Essaris is now doing what many other parking-lot owners have done: He has started sacrificing his supply of parking spaces for housing, most recently building a 38-storey Icône condo tower at de la Montagne St. and René Lévesque Blvd. He has some misgivings, however, knowing that those spots will be sorely missed. “We cannot survive without parking in the city. I wish everybody could take the bus and métro, it’d make things easier, but you cannot force people onto the métro when they have a car,” he said. Urban retailers have long begged their merchants associations to create more places to park, perhaps no more than on the Main where about half of all members regularly plead for more parking, according to Bruno Ricciardi-Rigault, president of the SDBSL. “It would be really nice if we had a few more parking lots,” he said. However, the dearth of spaces is only going to intensify as the few remaining parking lots near St. Laurent Blvd. are slated to be redeveloped. Ricciardi-Rigault is bracing for more complaints from restauranteurs who have lost customers because their motorist clientele was fed up with circling the block. “Some people want to spend the whole afternoon, shop, go to Jeanne Mance Park, come back for a beer. Paying $20 to park on the street, that‘s asking a lot,” he said. Condo towers have been replacing lots in the downtown core at an impressive pace and the result is higher prices at indoor garages, reflected in a recent Colliers study that ranks Montreal as having the second-highest parking prices of any big Canadian city. Rates have risen an eye-opening 11 per cent since last year, as the average monthly price for an unreserved spot in a downtown underground commercial lot was $330.96 — $88 above the national average. The proliferation of private parking lots once inspired many to liken Montreal to a bombed-out city, but that is no longer the case. “We were spoiled by having tons of parking lots, now Montrealers will have to get used to much higher parking costs,” said Colliers representative Andrew Maravita. He credits a lower commercial vacancy rate for pushing prices higher. Up until the 1960s, Montreal tacitly allowed even historic buildings to be demolished and replaced by parking lots and until recently turned a blind eye to the countless rogue illegal lots that dotted the downtown core. For ages, Montreal surface parking lots were fly-by-night operations, changing ownership to avoid bylaw restrictions ordering them to be paved, landscaped. The city always said they couldn’t chase every owner down. But in recent years, authorities have increased taxes and cracked down on illegal lots, combining the stick of punishment with the carrot of juicy rezoning booty. In the past, many property owners failed to see the point of building on their parking lots, as the zoning frequently only allowed for small buildings. Those restrictions have been lifted on many of those properties, resulting in a bonanza for parking-lot owners whose land increased in value. The strategy was put into place with input from architect and former Equality Party leader Robert Libman, who previously served on the city’s Executive Committee. “A lot of projects going on now, on streets like Crescent and Bishop and that area, were previously zoned for two or three storeys. The urban plan capped those at a minimal height. The rezoning has made it more alluring for owners to build instead of leaving it vacant,” he says. Libman’s war against above-ground parking lots is personal. “They’re ugly and they undermine the downtown urban fabric,” Libman said. But he concedes that commerce relies on people being able to drive to a business. “You’ve got to find that careful balance between offering too much parking, making it too easy vs. your objective of discouraging people to take their car downtown and using public transit, that’s the fine line you have to find between the two,” he said. Developers are required to include parking in new projects, but the amount varies from place to place. In Laval, many projects are required to have two parking spaces per condo unit, while in the Plateau it’s close to zero spaces, although a typical recipe calls for one spot per two units. The one part of the city perhaps most challenged by a dearth of parking facilities is the booming Old Montreal area. The issue has long been considered such an urgent problem that one proposal from a decade ago even suggested that the massive silos in the Old Port be used to park cars. More recently, Old Montreal planners have installed an electronic billboard indicating where spaces could be found, but the pressure on parking endures, according to Georges Coulombe, whose real-estate company has been snapping up properties in the area for the last four decades. Coulombe concedes that area commerce has been hurt by a lack of space for cars. “People from places like Longueuil want to come shop on the weekend, but they can’t do it anymore, it’s too expensive to park, they end up going to malls closer to home.” He attempted to address the problem through a plan to build a high-tech robotic parking facility that could accommodate twice as many cars as a regular indoor lot. However, he did the math and found that it wouldn’t make sense because of city taxes. “I had a small 3,000-foot terrain that I would have turned into 300 spaces, but the city wanted to tax not just the building but the machinery inside. It made it impossible.” Much-hyped futuristic robotic parking systems are seen by some as a potential solution to parking woes and have actually been around for quite some time. The city has had at least three pigeon-hole parking systems as the earlier incarnations were known; one was opened on de la Montagne St. in the 1950s and another on Mansfield, where a worker was crushed by an elevator. A third more recent one was in operation at St. Jean and Notre Dame until a decade ago. Authorities frequently cite the fear of being unable to put out a car blaze in their opposition to such facilities. And although a few such high-tech robotic lots could elegantly alleviate parking pressures, one expert says that the standalone dedicated parking buildings will probably never get built. Chris Mulvihill, the New Jersey-based President of Boomerang Systems, a high-tech car-stacking parking lot system, notes that any landowner would most probably opt for a different sort of project. “Take any place where it’s very hard to get a parking spot,” Mulvihill says. “You’d think building a garage and charging for parking would be a good business model, but the economics dictate that if there’s a high demand for parking in that area, it’s because it’s a hot, happening place, so there are real-estate developers who want to build on that land. The demand makes it uber-expensive. A landowner could make a lot more money doing something other than parking on it.” © Copyright © The Montreal Gazette Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Parking+squeeze+Downtown+businesses+feeling/7453989/story.html#ixzz2ASqBCwJE

http://www.ledevoir.com/culture/arts-visuels/363843/epelle-moi-une-ville En 26 lettres, l’exposition ABC : MTL brosse un portrait multiforme de la métropole québécoise à partir de propositions d’artistes et du public Isabelle Paré 13 novembre 2012 Arts visuels Photo : Collection CCA. Don de La fondation Sandra et Leo Kolber. © Olivo Barbieri Né d’un vaste coup de sonde lancé au public en juin dernier par le CCA, ABC : MTL est en perpétuel mouvement, les propositions devant être remplacées périodiquement par de nouvelles d’ici mars 2013. Ici, Le parc d’amusement de La Ronde et le pont Jacques-Cartier, Montréal, 2004, une photographie d’Olivo Barbieri. À RETENIR MTL : ABC, un autoportrait de Montréal Au Centre canadien d’architecture, du 13 novembre 2012 au 31 mars 2013 Un autoportrait de Montréal en 26 lettres ? Cela donne Montréal qui rime avec culte, citoyen, ruelle, soccer et… urgence. ABC : MTL n’est pas une exposition, mais bien une conversation en 3D, une machine à penser la ville imaginée et lancée mercredi par le Centre canadien d’architecture (CCA). Abécédaire échevelé né d’un appel de projets lancé aux artistes et au public, l’exercice accouche d’un portrait-robot de la ville aux cent clochers, à mille lieues des idées reçues et des trappes à touristes. « L’idée n’était pas de faire une exposition, mais d’inventer une façon d’investir l’imaginaire de la ville contemporaine. Ce sont des voix, des conversations sur des moments quotidiens, qui sont appelés à changer au fil des mois », a expliqué hier Mirko Zardini, directeur et conservateur en chef du CCA, pour expliquer la teneur de ABC : MTL, un projet inédit dans le paysage muséal. Oubliez les incontournables icônes, lieux symboliques et autres marqueurs du paysage de l’ancien Hochelaga, l’autoportrait de la ville tracé par ces voix plurielles venues d’ici et d’ailleurs est complètement inopiné. Montréal s’y dévoile en un puzzle d’impressions urbaines, une mosaïque collective s’intéressant autant à l’environnement bâti, aux espaces délaissés, à la vie de ses habitants qu’à ses incongruités quotidiennes. Né d’un vaste coup de sonde lancé au public en juin dernier par le CCA, l’autoportrait urbain en 26 lettres est en perpétuel mouvement, les propositions devant être remplacées périodiquement par de nouvelles d’ici mars 2013. Le but : traduire par une idée le profil physique et social de la métropole et l’incarner dans une lettre. Carte blanche fut laissée aux participants sur les moyens de transposer l’essence de leur ville. Sur les 250 propositions reçues sous forme d’images, de clips, de textes, de performances, de poésies, de plans et plus encore, au moins le tiers est venu du grand public. Dix collaborateurs connus, dont Atelier Big City, Saucier + Perrotte Architectes, DHC/ART, Héritage Montréal, l’ONF et Fonderie Darling, se sont associés de près à cet exercice démocratique « in progress ». Montréal en toutes lettres Si le CCA a sélectionné les 26 premières idées de départ, là s’arrête le contrôle sur le contenu de cette image en mouvement qui a l’allure des forums sur Internet. L’exercice intuitif révèle, et révélera encore, des surprises. L’économie, l’industrie, la corruption sont absentes de cette photo de famille - et pourtant ! Mais de nouvelles idées viendront se greffer au profil de cette métropole dressé à chaud. À terme, 90 projets seront présentés en rotation. « En fait, le résultat est tout à fait cohérent avec le flou actuel qui règne à Montréal. La réponse obtenue du public distille cette impression d’une multitude de visions sans liens entre elles, sans consensus », explique le directeur du CCA. De A à Z Voici en quelques lettres, quelques extraits de cet abécédaire populaire, construit tant par les Montréalais que par le regard de visiteurs de passage. Nicolas Baier, Réminiscence, 2011 DHC/ART, Fondation pour l’art contemporain E comme dans Exil. Avec 30 % d’immigrants, Montréal est devenu une terre d’asile. Cette réalité transpire d’Histoires de vie, un projet vidéo de l’Université Concordia, qui s’immisce dans la vie de quatre Montréalais forcés de quitter leurs pays d’origine en raison de la guerre ou de violation de leurs droits. C comme dans Citoyen. Les policiers casqués ont marqué l’imaginaire des derniers mois. Iconoclaste, la photographe Emmanuelle Léonard campe les policiers de l’anti-émeute de façon humaniste, déboulonnant l’agressivité associée à leur image. L’anti-matricule 728. I comme dans Independent. Montréal est devenue la capitale de la musique Indie, avec l’émergence des Arcade Fire, Grimes, Miracle Fortress, The Dears, Bran Van 3000 et autres icônes de la scène musicale indépendante. Des vidéos de ces divers groupes sont diffusées chaque soir à 17 h au CCA. I comme dans Island. Montagne d’ambitions, tonnes d’inertie. La photo de Gabor Szilasi du slogan « La fierté à une ville », opposé à la zone délaissée sous le pont Jacques-Cartier, est un rappel cinglant de l’immobilisme qui continue de sévir à Montréal. Prise il y a près de 30 ans, cette vue du pont Jacques-Cartier depuis la rue Notre-Dame est en tout point identique à ce que l’on y retrouve aujourd’hui. Gabor Szilasi, Série d’enseignes lumineuses, La Fierté a une ville, Montréal. 1983. CCA Collection. ©Gabor Szilazi M comme dans Montroyalite. Le photographe Robert Burley a saisi avec son objectif une trace de l’unicité géologique de Montréal. Montagne surgie dans la plaine, le mont Royal est formé d’une roche ignée unique appelée la montroyalite. Robert Burley, Roche dans les bois, Mont Royal, 1990. Collection CCA. ©Robert Burley P comme dans Partition. Le collectif Audiotopie présente une partition faite à partir de bruits ambiants recueillis dans les couloirs souterrains de Montréal. L’expérience immersive nous entraîne de la station de métro Square-Victoria à la station Place-d’Armes. Parcours Reso-électro - L'Audiotopie (extrait mp3) S comme dans Soccer. Sport fédérateur entre tous à Montréal, le soccer donnera vie au Complexe de soccer à Saint-Michel. Le projet de Saucier + Perrotte redonnera en sus vie à l’ancien dépotoir Miron, pour en faire un des plus grands parcs de la ville. Mais l’alphabet ne s’arrête pas là. À ce portrait en toutes lettres s’ajoutent conférences et discussions au CCA avec les auteurs de ces vignettes montréalaises. D’autres lettres, et des capitales, viendront s’ajouter en décembre, janvier et février à cette série. Dont C pour Concrete, une sculpture de béton, formée de fragments de bitume récemment tombés de diverses infrastructures montréalaises… Ouille.

http://journalmetro.com/actualites/montreal/169134/trois-idees-que-montreal-devrait-importer/ Montréal accueillera du 11 au 13 octobre un important sommet sur le patrimoine canadien. Si Montréal tire plutôt bien son épingle du jeu en termes de sauvegarde du patrimoine, elle pourrait quand même s’inspirer d’autres villes. Décryptage. Gérer le parc Jean-Drapeau à la vancouvéroise À Vancouver, l’équivalent du parc du Mont-Royal s’appelle le parc Stanley. Cette ancienne zone militaire de 400 hectares est le troisième plus grand parc urbain en Amérique du Nord, devant Central Park. Sa particularité? Comme les autres parcs de Vancouver, il est géré par sept administrateurs qui sont élus par les citoyens pour un mandat de trois ans. «Les candidats doivent notamment présenter leur vision de développement avant d’être élus et doivent ensuite rendre des comptes aux citoyens de façon mensuelle, dans le cadre d’assemblées publiques», explique Dinu Bumbaru, directeur des politiques d’Héritage Montréal. Selon lui, ce mode de gestion devrait être importé, notamment à la Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, qu’il qualifie de «baronnie». La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau a souvent fait les manchettes à cause des salaires mirobolants de ses dirigeants et de sa gestion opaque (l’ancien directeur général, qui fut un temps directeur d’Union Mont*réal, s’est fait mettre à la porte récemment). «Le parc Jean-Drapeau est un lieu d’histoire où s’est tenue l’Expo. Il mériterait qu’on lui donne une structure démocratique», clame M. Bumbaru. Malgré son mode de fonctionnement plus ouvert, le parc Stanley n’a pas été épargné par les politicailleries. En 2009, l’opposition dénonça ainsi les tentatives d’ingérence du maire Gregor Robertson dans les affaires du Board of Parks and Recreation. Promouvoir l’art public comme Calgary «L’art public, à Montréal, on en parle; à Calgary, on agit», lance Dinu Bumbaru qui cite en exemple la nouvelle promenade décorée d’œuvres récemment aménagée le long de la rivière Bow. Dans la métropole albertaine, pour chaque projet municipal qui dépasse le million de dollars, 1 % du projet va à la réalisation d’une œuvre d’art destinée à être exposée sur le site. De 2004 à 2011, 31 œuvres totalisant 10,2 M$ ont ainsi été créées et 17 pro*jets étaient en cours d’élaboration. Si la valeur artistique est inégale, M. Bumbaru pense que Montréal devrait quand même s’inspirer de ce programme. «J’ai d’ailleurs proposé aux membres d’Héritage Montréal qu’on aille voir ce qui se fait à Calgary pour y puiser des idées», rigole M. Bumbaru. Si la Ville de Montréal a adopté en 2010 un nouveau cadre d’intervention en art public qui contient plusieurs engagements, elle n’a toutefois fixé aucun échéancier pour l’intégration des œuvres aux futurs projets d’architecture. Calgary travaille, comme Montréal, à trouver une nouvelle vocation à son ancien Planétarium, mais a déjà réhabilité son square Viger, deux dossiers qui traînent à Montréal. Sauver les vieilles publicités murales comme à Lyon Montréal compterait encore plus d’une centaine de vieilles publicités peintes sur les murs à la gloire notamment des phonographes Lindsay, des fourrures John Henderson et des cigarettes Turrets. L’écrivaine Réjane Bougé a publié un livre sur le sujet qui sort en librairie cette semaine : Sur les murs d’un Montréal qui s’efface. Selon elle, il faudrait étudier la possibilité de sauvegarder certaines de ces réclames qui jouent encore un rôle, même si les marques qu’elles vantent ont aujourd’hui disparu. «Le passé et le présent se chevauchent dans un dialogue éloquent qui fait prendre conscience de l’usure du temps», écrit-elle à leur sujet. Pour les sauver, on pourrait, par exemple, faire parrainer la restauration d’une publicité murale par une entreprise appartenant au même secteur d’activité, suggère-t-elle. Du même souffle, elle se questionne. «L’émotion que suscitent ces vieilles publicités tient au fait qu’on voit l’usure du temps et qu’on se dit qu’elles vont finir par disparaître. Je me demande si elles dégageraient la même chose, une fois restaurées», a-t-elle déclaré. Montréal pourrait s’inspirer de Lyon, qui a reconnu les murs peints comme des œuvres d’art lorsqu’elle a établi sa politique municipale d’aménagement et de mise en lumière des espaces publics, favorisant ainsi par la bande la restauration de ses vieilles réclames.

http://www.ecologieurbaine.net/2012-10-18-udem-jan-gehl Conférence-midi - UdeM | Jan Gehl : Pour des villes à échelle humaine Ajouter à mon horaire 18 octobre 2012, 12h00 - 13h30 CONFÉRENCE-MIDI de 45 minutes en anglais. La présentation sera suivie d'une brève période d'échange avec le public et d'une séance de signatures. INSCRIPTION fortement conseillée Places limitées - Entrée libre Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant ici, ou à partir du bouton au bas de cette page UNE CO-ORGANISATION du Centre d'écologie urbaine de Montréal avec Université de Montréal Amphithéâtre Hydro-Québec (local 1120) Faculté de l’aménagement 2940, ch. de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine Montréal QC Métro Université-de-Montréal Itinéraire Google Maps Conférence-midi Cette conférence résumera la vision et les propositions de Jan Gehl pour des villes à échelle humaine. Jan Gehl est de passage à Montréal pour le lancement de l'édition française de son livre Cities for people publié par les Éditions Écosociété, en collaboration avec le Centre d'écologie urbaine de Montréal, l'Ordre des urbanistes du Québec et Mission Design. Pour des villes à échelle humaine, qui est le fruit de 50 années de travail de cet important penseur et praticien de l’urbanisme, est appelé à devenir un outil indispensable pour construire les « écocités » de demain. M. Jan Gehl Professeur émérite de design urbain de l’Académie royale des beaux-arts du Danemark et membre honoraire de plusieurs organisations, dont l’Institut royal d’architecture du Canada. Fondateur et associé de Gehl Architects, il a travaillé au réaménagement de villes comme Copenhague, Londres, Amman, Melbourne, New York, Seattle et San Francisco. Architecte MAA et FRIBA, M. Gehl a reçu le prix Sir Patrick Abercrombie pour ses contributions exemplaires à l’aménagement des villes de la part de l’Union internationale des architectes ainsi qu’un doctorat honorifique de l’Université Heriot-Watt à Edimbourg. Jan Gehl a obtenu un post-doctorat international honorifique de la part du Royal Institute of British Architects (Int. FRIBA) en 2006 ainsi que de l’American Institute of Architecture et d’Architecture Canada en 2008. Jan Gehl est l'auteur de plusieurs livres incluant Life between Buildings, Public Spaces, Public Life, et Cities for People. Pour des villes à échelle humaine est le premier livre à être traduit en français. S'enregistrer maintenant

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/business/global/hip-cities-that-think-about-how-they-work.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&smid=fb-share The story of young people, full of ambition, energy, skill and talent, moving to enticing cities that call to them like a siren’s song is as old as modern civilization. And in a world where national borders are easier to traverse, where more countries are joining the prosperous global middle class and where the cost of a one-way plane ticket is more affordable, young professionals probably have more cities to choose from than ever before. This survey is not based solely on quality of life, number of trees or the cost of a month’s rent. Instead, we examine some cities that aim to be both smart and well managed, yet have an undeniably hip vibe. Our pick of cities that are, in a phrase, both great and good: Auckland With its beaches, inlets and lush coastal climate, the Kiwi metropolis has always had great natural beauty going for it (and, now, for the first time in 24 years, it is the home to the World Cup Rugby Champions). But we digress. Currently counting 1.5 million residents , the government is projecting the city to hit the two million-mark in just 30 years. The city has recently voted to create a new central core that mixes sustainable housing and mixed-use development. The public transportation system, which includes subways, trams, busses and ferries, is constantly being expanded. Measures to increase the density of the urban landscape, meant to ultimately prevent encroachment on surrounding lands, as well as planting “green carpets” along urban roads demonstrate a keen eye toward creating a greener future. Plus, the city is expanding its free Wi-Fi coverage, according to a city official. Auckland is doing its best to “up their game with urban design,” said Angela Jones, a spokesperson for the city, turning a beautiful but provincial capital into a smart city. Berlin This culture capital combines low rents, a white-hot arts scene, good public transportation and myriad creative types — from media to design to technology — from all over the world. Known as Europe’s largest construction zone for at least 10 of the past 20 years, 4.4-million-strong Berlin has probably changed more in that time than any other large European city. And while the restaurants have become more expensive, the clothes are now more stylish and the D.J.’s have added more attitude, there is still plenty of real city left to be discovered by the thousands of artists and young professionals who move here every year to make this the pulsing center of Germany, the powerhouse of Europe. Besides radical renovations to the government center, main train station and the old Potsdamer Platz, the city recently turned a historic airport in its heart into a vast urban park. A short-term bike-rental system is in place and the old subway system, reunited after the fall of the wall, like the city itself, is as efficient as ever. Besides artists and bohemians looking for the vibe, the city — home to several prestigious universities, research institutes and many a company headquarter — is brimming with smart scientists and savvy businessmen. Barcelona Anyone who has walked down Las Ramblas on a summer evening or has stared at the Sagrada Familia for long enough understands why this city attracts planeloads of tourists. Music, good food, great weather and strong technology and service sectors compete to make this city of 1.6 million a home for all those who want to stay beyond summer break. If all the traditional charms of Barcelona were not enough, an active city government is trying to keep this city smart, too. Under its auspices, photovoltaic solar cells have been installed on many public and private rooftops. Charging stations for electrical cars and scooters have recently been set up around the city, in preparation for the day when residents will be tooling around in their electric vehicles. A biomass processing plant is being built that will use the detritus from city parks to generate heat and electricity, and free Wi-Fi is available at hotspots around the city. Cape Town Wedged between sea and mountain, Cape Town’s natural setting is stunning. Nor does the city — with its colorful neighborhoods, historic sites, and easy charm — disappoint. And while its one of Africa’s top tourist destinations, it also attracts many new residents from around the globe. The local government is trying to lead the growing city of 3.5 million with a more inclusive government and development structure, to overcome the gross inequities of South Africa’s past. Four major universities and many research institutes make Cape Town one of the continent’s bustling research centers. Named the 2014 World Design Capital last month, the city government is encouraging a cluster of design and creative firms in a neighborhood called the Fringe. The 2010 World Cup of soccer was a boon for infrastructure, especially public transportation. A new bus system, with dedicated lanes, has been rolled out in recent years to keep the many suburbs connected and alleviate crushing traffic. Under a program called Smart Cape, libraries and civic centers have computer terminals with free Internet access. Poverty and crime are still issues in Cape Town, but overall quality of life indicators rank the city as one of the best in Africa. Copenhagen Progressive, cozy and very beautiful, the young and the elegant flock to this northern light. Rents might not be as low as in other hip cities, but the social infrastructure in this metropolitan area of 1.9 million cannot be beat. Offering a prosperous blend of art, culture and scene, this highly tolerant city is attracting young professionals lucky enough to work in the center of Danish industry and commerce. A mix of stately old European buildings and modern, green-oriented architecture speaks of a city that treasures the old but loves experimenting with the new. Despite its cool Scandinavian climate, the Danish capital might just be the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Bike superhighways crisscross the city, and statistics show that more than a third of the city’s inhabitants commute to work or school on their trusty two-wheelers. A metro system was inaugurated in the last decade for those who choose to go without. With sunlight-flooded underground stations and clean, driverless subway cars, the system looks more like a people-mover at an international airport than an urban transport system. Having committed itself to reducing carbon levels by 20 percent before 2015, some of the city’s power is generated by wind. The city has been so successful in cleaning up its once-industrial harbor that it has been able to open three public baths in a harbor waterway. Curitiba, Brazil One of the smartest cities in Latin America, Brazil’s wealthy regional capital attracts many new inhabitants with jobs in service and production sectors, and with the promise a functioning city. The 1.7 million residents have access to a bus-based rapid transport system so good that more than 700,000 commuters use it daily. Buses run on designated lanes that, because of a unique and modern urban design, have right-of-way and preferred access to the city center. A beautiful botanical garden and other city parks, along with other strong environmental measures, keep the air largely clear of pollution, despite Curitiba’s land-locked location. The city strives to be sustainable in other ways, too. According to reports, it recently invested $106 million, or 5 percent, of its budget into its department of environment. The city government makes itself integral in the lives of Curitibans, not just seeking comment and feedback on policies, but also organizing a host of events. “Bike Night” is the latest craze in the active city. Each Tuesday, residents take to their bikes and peddle through the night, accompanied by municipal staff members. Montreal With its hearty French and North American mix, this city of 3.6 million has a real soul thanks to low living costs and long winter evenings. And it is no slouch when it comes to good food, hip culture, well-appointed museums and efficient transportation. With four major universities and plenty of bars, the nightlife in this bilingual city has a well-deserved reputation. Because the winters tend to be long and cold, the city possesses an extensive underground network connecting several downtown malls and a subterranean arts quarter. When spring finally does arrive, and snow is cleared from the many bike paths, the city puts out its 3,000 short-term-rental bicycles, known as Bixi. City-sponsored community gardens are sprouting around town, giving urbanites a chance to flex their green thumb. Montreal is an incredibly active town where festivals celebrating everything from jazz to Formula One dominate the city’s calendar during the summer. Thanks to Mount Royal, a large central park and cemetery that serves as cross-country, snowshoe and ice-skating terrain in the winter and becomes a verdant picnic ground and gathering spot in the summer, Montrealers never have to leave city limits. Santiago A vibrant mix of Latin American culture and European sensibility, this Chilean city is modern, safe and smart. The rapidly growing city of 6.7 million — , which, perhaps surprisingly, was first subject to urban planning mandates in the mid-20th century — is still ahead of others in South America when it comes to urban governance. A law curtailing urban sprawl and protecting the few natural spaces close to the city is exemplary. Beautiful old cultural jewels like the library and fine art museum are dwarfed by serious commercial skyscrapers. The smell of local food, good and inexpensive, brings life even to the streets of its financial district. One of the most extensive public transport systems on the continent whisks more than 2.3 million commuters to and from work or school every day. Because of its high altitude, pollution is a problem — one that the national government is trying to curb with various green initiatives. Short-term bike rentals exist in one of the more active parts of town, and significant city funds have been used to construct bicycle lanes. For a city this modern, however, Santiago has few parks. But the ocean is just a short drive to west and the mountains to the east. Shanghai China’s commercial heart has grown tremendously in the past couple of decades. Attracting young professionals with its jobs and opportunities rather than with museums and hip nightlife, this megacity of 23 million is surprisingly smart. Its top-down urban planning approach is efficient in a city made up of separate 16 districts and one county. City coffers are put to use building enormously ambitious infrastructure, like a deepwater port, tunnels, bridges and roadways. A good indicator for the rapid and deliberate growth of the city is the metro system. First opened in 1995, it is now the world’s longest subway network, according to city officials. Adding a futuristic aspect to the utilitarian system is a Maglev (magnetic levitation) line that connects the airport to the city, and on which the train travels at speeds of up to 431 kilometers, or 268 miles, per hour. But Shanghai’s urban development is also green. The city claims that it put the equivalent of $8 billion into environmental improvement and cleanup, which include sewage treatment systems but also an impressive number of city parks. In addition, Shanghai has made its city government more accessible by running a Web site were residents can find municipal information, and read a blog entitled “mayor’s window.” Vilnius, Lithuania One of the greenest of the former Eastern bloc capitals, Vilnius has a forward-thinking city government. In a recent Internet video that spread virally, the mayor, Arturas Zuokas, is seen crushing a Mercedes parked on a bike path with a tank. Beyond the obvious political theater of the stunt, the city, whose metropolitan area population is 850,000 takes providing good public transportation seriously. A recent study suggested that some 70 percent of the capital’s citizens either walk, bike or take the bus. Vilnius, a verdant city that despite some communist architectural clunkers is charmingly medieval and surprisingly well maintained, boasts an old town that is a Unesco world heritage site. After the fall of the old regime, the city took great pains to retool its waste disposal systems, building a modern landfill in 2005. The capital attracts young professionals, and not just from Eastern Europe, who see in Vilnius a rising star in business and appreciate all that the extensive cultural scene in the little capital has to offer.

Les faits saillants du comité exécutif du 29 mars 2011 Montréal, le 31 mars 2011 - Le président du comité exécutif et maire de Montréal, M. Gérald Tremblay, présente un compte rendu des principales décisions prises par le comité exécutif (CE) lors de la séance du mardi 29 mars 2011. .... • le concept d'aménagement, l'élaboration des plans et devis et le lancement d'un appel d'offres public pour la réalisation des travaux (MBAM). Le projet d'aménagement prévoit le verdissement de l'environnement de la rue Sherbrooke et de l'avenue du Musée ainsi que l'intégration d'œuvres d'art, prêtées par le Musée, sur le domaine public le long de l'avenue du Musée et de la rue Sherbrooke. En créant un aménagement urbain distinctif autour du complexe muséal, la Ville de Montréal est heureuse de soutenir le MBAM dans son important projet d'expansion. ... http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=5798,42657625&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&id=16184&ret=http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/url/page/prt_vdm_fr/rep_annonces_ville/rep_communiques/communiques

Condo development proposed for site of former Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet Cheryl Cornacchia The Gazette Monday, September 19, 2011 A public consultation will be held Monday night in Dorval on a zoning change that would pave the way for the construction of a three-storey, 30-unit condominium development across the street from the Pine Beach AMT commuter train station. The zoning change would couple two vacant lots into one property measuring close to 16,000 square metres. One of the properties is the empty lot on the corner of Cardinal Ave. and Pine Beach Blvd. where a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet stood until it was demolished about five years ag. The other lot is 505 Clement Ave., a private home until it was torn down two years ago. The middle-density housing development is just one of many going up in the West Island along the transportation corridor. "It’s one of the trends," said Mario St. Jean, Dorval’s director of urban planning. Building along the train line "makes sense. You wake up, take your breakfast and, after a quick walk, you are at the train station." St. Jean said a private developer has already submitted plans to Dorval for the project. A similar although larger middle density project is Dorval Espace MV, St. Jean said. Located on Bouchard Blvd., it includes condos, townhouses on property formerly owned by Novartis Canada, the pharmaceutical company. That project is well on its way to completion. The public consultation is scheduled for 7:50 p.m. in the municipal council chamber at Dorval city hall, 60 Martin Ave. http://westislandgazette.com/news/25286

MONTREAL – The central-city administration didn’t open the door any further Monday night to preserving the 57-hectare Meadowbrook green space. But Alan DeSousa, vice-chairman of the city executive committee, didn’t slam it shut, either – not with about 375 anti-development protesters who converged on city hall trying to save the West End site hanging onto his words. “We’re ready to see what we can do to support a local community consensus” on Meadowbrook’s future, he told Patrick Asch of the Les Amis de Meadowbrook citizens’ coalition, which wants the entire site preserved as a public park. A Miami Beach condo developer, Michael Bedzow of Pacific Group Canada, wants to build 1,500 housing units on the site, which has been a private golf course for about a century. Meadowbrook hosts a broad range of wildlife, including foxes, rabbits and birds. It straddles the Lachine borough and Côte St. Luc, and is located near rail yards. Asch and other questioners tried repeatedly to get Mayor Gérald Tremblay to commit to preservation. But the mayor left it to DeSousa to do all the talking on his behalf. The site is already partly zoned for development. Last night’s occasionally loud crowd demonstrates broad support for the site’s preservation, Asch said. The site is “irreplaceable and one of the few natural green spaces left in Montreal,” he added. “Residents across the island will not accept the destruction of Meadowbrook.” Tremblay’s continuing silence on the issue is “deafening – and very suspicious,” Asch said. The site’s preservation is part of a May 2009 report that is to be voted on Thursday by Montreal Island’s agglomeration council. DeSousa said that report doesn’t deal with golf courses. On April 15, Karel Mayrand, Quebec executive director of the David Suzuki Foundation, wrote to Tremblay asking him to act “to preserve all of Meadowbrook as a nature park.” The Pacific Group housing plan – which features Plateau Mont Royal density levels – would represent “destruction for short-term private gain,” Mayrand added. Projet Montréal has already endorsed Meadowbrook’s preservation in full as a public park, said party leader Richard Bergeron. janr@thegazette.canwest.com © Copyright © The Montreal Gazette Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/City+commit+Meadowbrook/2926786/story.html#ixzz0leaaJ97g