Seventeenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

Montreal will soon adopt the new master plan for Parc Jean-Drapeau, the city’s largest public park, guiding its conservation, design and development for the next 10 years. Ambitious, audacious, and adhering to the best practices in sustainable development, conservation, planning, mobility, and open governance, it will serve as a crucial planning document for the central city. The master plan highlights the importance of parks for ensuring an improved quality of life for citizens. According a study conducted by Park People, 94% of Canadian municipalities have noted an increased awareness of the value of parks for public health and crisis resilience in the context of COVID-19. The influx of park users during the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of promoting nature in cities, equal access to green spaces and the redistribution of public space as shared space. Supported by practical and theoretical knowledge of parks, the paper focuses on the strategic orientations and major proposals of the master plan, based on the vision of creating a large public park: a drastic change from its predominant vocation as an event site. Several actions will herald this fundamental transformation: the creation of ecological corridors, greening of parking lots, adoption of differentiated management, enhancement of habitats and natural environments, implementation of sustainable mobility, and improved sociability spaces. The implementation of the master plan will transform Parc Jean-Drapeau into an innovative park promoting sustainability, public health and collective well-being, especially in the current context of the pandemic and climate emergency.