As part of a research partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and numerous other partners, the Canada Research Chair in Architecture, Competition, and Quality at the University of Montreal, led by Professor Jean-Pierre Chupin, brought together 14 universities and more than 60 researchers. Together, they convinced the Rick Hansen Foundation, Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and more than 60 citizen groups, professional organizations, and municipal services to form 15 research teams, including one composed of young Indigenous leaders.
In May 2025, these cross-sector groups presented an initial status report on their roadmaps toward more equitable, sustainable, and socially valuable quality at the University of Toronto’s annual convention, followed by another exhibition at the RAIC’s annual conference at Place Bonaventure in June.
From August 29 to September 19, 2025, in Room 2081 of the Faculty of Environmental Design at the Université de Montréal, the exhibition offers a glimpse of the research conducted since 2022 and which will continue until 2027. This is an ongoing national project, accompanied by student videos and panels summarizing quality issues, the steps taken, and the actions planned.
Each roadmap presents the key elements: initial problem, objectives, resources, stages, and short-, medium-, and long-term actions. There are many gray areas in our current definitions of quality: accessibility, adaptive reuse, participation, park resilience, school inclusion, biodiversity integration, etc. Using a bottom-up approach, the teams analyze and consult in specific contexts, questioning current definitions of quality in architecture, landscape, design, and urban planning. Their work highlights the importance of collecting real-life experiences to break down silos and update expertise.
