Densifying Montreal: Is There a Balance Between Utopia and Necessity?

Once promoted to encourage the rehabilitation of a downtown littered with vacant lots, densification is now justified by the economy, social justice, the ecological transition and even the quest for prestige.

Are densification and high-rise construction, which are too often conflated, a solution or a problem? Do Montreal’s authentic neighbourhoods offer elected officials, urban planners and developers a path to intelligent density on a human scale?

Lecture presented online on January 26, 2022.

Speakers

• Laurence Vincent, President, Prével
• Richard Shearmur, Professor and Director, McGill School of Urban Planning
• Marie-Odile Trépanier, Administrator, Amis de la Montagne, and Honorary Professor, Institut d’urbanisme, Université de Montréal

City Talks

For a 10th year, the City Talks series offers a space for thought and discussion about contemporary issues that affect Montrealers: heritage, urban planning, mobility, metropolitan realities and more.

The talks are moderated by Dinu Bumbaru, Director of Policy at Héritage Montréal.
See the program