Landscape issues continuously emerge in major urban development projects as a means to enhance and qualify a territory socially and culturally. Urban landscape has become an important value for the development of many cities around the world in terms of attractiveness, identity, cultural diversity, and quality of life. In facing these concerns, local and regional governments are seeking new approaches to site planning and intervention.

The needs for developing strategies and urban landscape management tools are urgent and this guide responds to specific concerns. On the one hand, the regional Conference of Montreal’s elected officials hopes to develop a framework allowing a better understanding of the various aspects of urban landscape and evaluate best practices in landscape enhancement and development. These activities are likely to generate a constructive dialogue with the public and the development community in Montreal. On the other hand, this guide stems from a reflection on urban landscape led since 2002 at the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at the University of Montreal, in collaboration with Quebec and Montreal’s key partners in the public, para-public, and private sectors. The guide also benefits from international experiments conducted within the framework of CUPUM’s activities

Furthermore, this guide aims to support the major players in Montreal’s urban planning. It provides a framework and a recognized management approach promoting the quality of landscapes and living environments. It builds on a process approach providing strategic guidelines and offers, at the operational level, a set of proven tools for preservation, enhancement, and development of landscapes and urban living environments. This type of approach is well-suited to survey the diversity of territorial contexts as well as social and cultural aspirations expressed locally.

This guide is designed for policymakers, design professionals, policy and urban project managers, economic stakeholders, associations and more broadly, to anyone interested in the quality of living environments in Montreal.

Chercheurs principaux

• Philippe Poullaouec-Gonidec
  Professor Emeritus École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage / Associate Researcher UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape (CUPUM) / Membre fondateur UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape (CUPUM) / Chair of Landscape and Environment (CPEUM)
• Sylvain Paquette
  University of Montreal / Full Professor School of Urbanism and Landscape Architecture / Principal Researcher Chair of Landscape and Environment (CPEUM) / Associate Researcher UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape (CUPUM)

Research Assistant

• Julie Bergeron
  Research Assistant Chair of Landscape and Environment (CPEUM) / Student Faculty of Environmental Design
• Sophie Julien
  Student School of Architecture / Student School of Landscape Architecture / Student Faculty of Environmental Design

External Collaborator

• Guy Raynault
  Directeur développement urbain Conférence Régionale des Élus de Montréal (CRÉ Montréal)
• Virginie Zingraff
  Agente de développement environnement et développement durable Conférence Régionale des Élus de Montréal (CRÉ Montréal)
• Danielle Ripeau
  Conseillère stratégique, planification et recherche Conférence Régionale des Élus de Montréal (CRÉ Montréal)

• Aménagement culturel des paysages
• Appréciation et valorisation paysagère
• Attractivité et développement
• Design urbain
• Identité et lieu
• Infrastructure et transport
• Évolution paysagère

Financing partners

• Conférence Régionale des Élus de Montréal (CRÉ Montréal)