“In 2008, the planning of works in the Quartier des spectacles culminated in extraordinary projects, many of which were implemented in the Place des Arts sector. I am convinced that local designers’ creativity, audacity and eagerness will help us make the Quartier latin an unparalleled urban experience,” the mayor announced.

“This process is very exciting. It brings another dimension to the borough’s planning process, and puts the creativity and innovation of Montréal designers front and centre,” Ms. Fotopulos says.

A two-part contest

The main theme of the contest is the urban experience in the Quartier latin, by day and night.

Candidates can choose to enter in one of the following categories:
1/In the first category, designers are asked to imagine different types of architecturally innovative housing that meets the needs of a young clientele. Ideas should take into account the cohabitation of dwellings and nightlife in the Quartier des spectacles.

2/The second category invites designers to create a unique experience along the main arteries of the Quartier latin. Whether they focus on Saint-Laurent and De Maisonneuve, boulevards or Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Denis streets, proposals should convey an alternative vision of public space and of active and collective transport.

Both categories of the contest will unfold simultaneously. All urban planning professionals, from architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and urban designers to members of a professional corporation are invited to submit proposals to the borough by Tuesday, May 8 at 4 p.m.

For more information:
www.mtlunescodesign.com

Popular favourites

The general public will have a chance to vote online for their favorite project proposals in May. Participants will be eligible to win a prize.

Following the public vote and the official announcement of the winners chosen by a jury, all projects will be presented at a public exhibition that will be held later this spring.

Proposals received will be evaluated by a jury made up of urban planning professionals and specialists in the Quartier latin:

Mr. Mark Poddubiuk, architect – L’oeuf et professeur – UQAM school of design
Mr. Raouf Boutros, architect
Ms. Isabelle R. Laliberté, architect, project manager – Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal
Ms. Monique Savoie, founding president and artistic director – Société des arts technologiques
Mr. Nik Luka, professor – School of Architecture and School of Urban Planning–McGill University
Ms. Julie Saint-Arnaud, landscape architect – Vlan paysages
Ms. Claire Néron-Dejean, urban planning project director – BC2FP
Mr. Luc Couillard, urban planning consultant – Service du développement et des opérations – Direction des transports – Ville de Montréal
Mr. Sylvain Villeneuve, urban planner, head of the Division de l’urbanisme – Direction de l’aménagement urbain et des services aux entreprises –Ville-Marie borough.

Consultations in September

The draft SPP, which will integrate some of the proposals submitted in this contest, will be presented to the city council and to the partners by early summer. The public can express their views on the SPP at public consultations organized by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) in September, before the program’s final adoption this fall.

Boasting an annual volume of over 10 million visitors and about 46,000 students, and with 6000 residents and several educational institutions to its credit, the Quartier latin is an undeniable strategic pole in the city.

To follow the progress of the contest visit:
www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/villemarie

Source and information:
Anne-Sophie Harrois, communication officer
Tel.: 514 872-9921 / Cell: 514 601-9930