A pressure group for design...

[ChrisDVD]

Many people has been talking about forming a group of militants which will support skyscrapers and modern development in montreal... i was reading an article and i thought maybe it would interest some people...

 

... Right now Montreal's level of design is uneven, said Adrian Sheppard, a professor of architecture McGill University. But he's hopeful the UNESCO designation will change that. "It's an ego booster," he said. "It's ... a wonderful starting point and a challenge. If we can convince just 1,000 people in Montreal that design matters, it's a great victory."

 

In 1973, he said, citizens protested the demolition of the Van Horne House, a Golden Square Mile house on the corner of Sherbrooke and Stanley Sts. Some protesters went on to jump-start a movement that eventually became the conservation group Heritage Montreal. Partly due to public pressure, the city formed a committee to protect historic buildings in 1987.

 

"Less than 100 people started the heritage movement in Montreal and look what happened," Sheppard said. "One thousand people can tip the scales. It has to do with redeveloping a culture." As president of a committee that recommends building projects to the city, Sheppard called some plans that cross his desk "embarrassingly bad."

 

"There's a lack of culture and civic pride," he said. "We have a lot of talent, but we do seem to tolerate a lot of insignificant design."

 

Benoit Labonte, a member of Montreal's executive committee on culture, heritage, the downtown area and design, said the UNESCO title is important only if the population owns it.

 

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=3b345e23-1c16-4b82-839c-d5fdc9d3d8e3&k=79136

 

 

It might start little, but never we never know how much we can do?!?!?