Montreal's Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire Transformation

This research focuses on the impact of the implementation of a by-law in a residential area, Montreal's garden city, la Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire. The City of Montreal has implemented a set of specific architectural and environmental rules (PIIA, a Plan for Architectural Integration and Establishment) in order to protect and preserve the unique character of this Garden City built during the 1940's. In the general plan, Montreal designated the area as an exceptional site for preservation, a natural urban area and an authentic neighbourhood inspired by Ebenezer Howard's Garden City. In spite of the requirements of the PIIA for la Cité-Jardin, the recommendations of the Heritage Council of Montreal and the pressure exerted by the Residents' Association, a neutral observer might well conclude that not enough has been done to preserve the unique character of this neighborhood nor to prevent major transformations. The signs of decline in the quality of this heritage neighborhood have continued unabated during the 2010's: (1) significant enlargement of original houses, (2) demolition of heritage houses and reconstruction with only minimal, superficial similarities and (3) destruction of mature trees and replacement with suburban-style landscaping. While similar in some respects to the process of gentrification, the demographic changes underway in the Cité-Jardin are being produced by newcomers of a similar social class to the original residents but with a distinctly lower sensitivity to heritage architecture and community norms. Our research project aims to understand the effect of the PIIA as a potential catalyst for resilience in a case study, the Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire community. Given the decentralized structure of the City of Montreal, bylaws governing the community are the responsibility of the Borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. This paper focuses principally on documentary analysis and interviews with borough officials designed to substantiate the theoretical structure underlying our approach

Business · Political science · Resilience (materials science · Sociology · Transformation (genetics · French Urban and Social Studies