Montreal – Toronto – New Brunswick

“When I lived in Montreal, I was surrounded by places that I consider to be of excellent quality. The Plateau provides for dense and vibrant neighbourhoods, where everything is withing walking if not biking distance. Each residential row of triplexes links to a main boulevard that is full of interesting shops, restaurants, workplaces, and gathering places. A major improvement would be to remove cars from those boulevards, or at the least shrink their footprint, but as it stands, this model provides an excellent balance of private and public space and allows people of all incomes and backgrounds to move and gather together.

Another high-quality space is the area around the Danforth in Toronto. I find it frustrating that most current zoning bylaws do not permit lots that are less than 30ft in width, and yet here you can see houses that are 14ft wide on 16ft lots, which allows so many more families to live within walking distance to the main thoroughfare. That dramatically increases the vibrancy on the Danforth and other main streets, as well as in the many parks throughout the area.

Uptown Saint John, New Brunswick is another excellent example of a place that was built and that thrived well before the advent of the automobile. From the boardwalk to the City market, there are indoor walking paths for comfort in all seasons, outdoor gathering spaces for everyone to come together, lovely shops up and down King Street, and lots of people living, working and going to school in close proximity.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.223).