“Petit Laurier” – Plateau-Mont-Royal – Montreal

“My experience of living in my neighbourhood, the “Petit Laurier” in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, is the best example of a positive lived experience of quality in the built environment that I have. It is the perfect microcosm for me in the city of Montréal.

Within a 10 minute walking radius, I have access to my gym, my favorite coffee shop, grocery stores, restaurants, dépaneurs, a hardware store, an art supply store, and the park. As I spend less time commuting from one place to another, I spend more leisurely time in the neighborhood shops and cafés, such that I know most shop owners and they know me. The moment I walk into my favorite coffee shop, the owner of the café has my favourite coffee cup ready for me before I have to say anything.

Laurier street itself is a single lane street in that section of the city, with stop signs at every intersection, making it a fairly quiet area where the sound of people chattering on Sunday mornings is louder than the sound of cars and trucks. It has a bike path and multiple Bixi stations, which allows me to easily move around the neighborhood and beyond without having to take public transportation. Its many benches offer resting and gathering places for residents.

In the summer, the Laurier park is everyone’s favorite gathering spot, and groups of friends get together over a picnic and drinks. The park also has a space where people exercise in groups, or offer free dance lessons to salsa enthusiasts like myself. In the late summer and early fall, there’s a farmer’s market offering organic vegetables twice a week at the exact intersection where I live.

The neighbourhood is full of young families, and dog owners which makes it feel like a safe and friendly environment. One of the residents of the neighborhood has created a Facebook page called “Le Petit Laurier” where community members can interact and share news, articles, stories or updates about anything related to the neighborhood, from the newest pastries at the local pastry shop, to updates about power outages. It contributes to the feeling of being part of a community. Le Petit Laurier is overall a vibrant little village where life can still be quiet and slow.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.236).

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