Today, let’s examine a seemingly under-praised example of a successful urban design project that has made a major positive difference for the city of Montreal: the 2004–2007 renovation of the Pine and Parc intersection.
A look into the city of Montreal’s archives reveals a fascinating story of change from which many lessons can learned — especially as we renovate other parts of the city.
Pre Demolition
In the early 90s, the overpass and tunnel near the Mount Royal park used to separate two key parts of the city along the north/south axis: downtown (especially the McGill Ghetto) and the Plateau (especially Parc Avenue). It also separated the city along the east/west axis, with on one side the McGill Stadium and McGill University student life buildings and vibrant St-Laurent street on the other.
The overpass and tunnel were not beautiful structures. Their thick grey graffiti-covered walls clashed drastically with the green landscape of Mount Royal. The high concrete walls even obstructed much of the view of the mountain. Functionally, the structure did not blend in well with the surrounding residential neighbourhood. Further, pedestrians could not easily navigate the structure, which led to many risky road crossings in high-speed traffic. There were no bike paths.
The Historical Context
The intersection at Pine and Parc has special significance for Montreal, in that it is the main gateway from downtown to the expansive greenspaces of Mont-Royal park — from which Montreal takes its name.
The Mont-Royal park was designed in 1877 by renowned landscape architect Frederic Law Olmsted, who also co-designed New York’s Central Park (1). This is still several years prior to the invention of the modern automobile around 1886 and the commercialization of the famous Ford Model T in 1908. It was impossible for its creator to have imagined the car traffic that would eventually drive past the mountain daily.
In 1962, the Pine interchange was completed, at the height of an era where the automobile reigned supreme. It would later be demonstrated in a study done in 1990s that the volume of traffic the interchange could theoretically handle was hugely superior to the actual or even predicted rate of car traffic. Basically, the mammoth structure built in the 1960s completely overshot the mobility needs of the citizens of this area. (2)
The Renovation
Forty year later, in 2004, the city of Montreal underwent a process to renovate the area instead of simply repairing the dilapidated structure.
The project was coordinated by city councillor Michel Prescott and Mont-Royal borough mayor Helen Fotopulos, who urged citizens to “think big” (3). A team of multi-disciplinary consultants was assembled, with urban design firm Urban Soland leading the study that laid out the four renovation concepts.
The four concepts were presented to the public in January 2004 (4). The winning concept is shown below.
It would take almost 3 years to completely level the massive structure. The demolition supposedly “left large stark tracts of muddy ground to frame the new roads and sidewalks”. (5)
In the fall of 2007, the city also held several additional hearings to get feedback from citizens about the new intersection. The 3-year demolition process was completed inside of the planned $25M budget.
Blast From The Past
Ironically, the concept that was ultimately chosen in 2004 was very reminiscent of this 1950 photo (below) of the Parc and Pine intersection before the construction of the massive interchange in the 1960s.
The new intersection concept would be very flat (no onramps and tunnels) and featured straight lines! In other words, the design we have today in 2013 is eerily similar to the 1950s version.
Why It Works
I think the demolition was successful because it was rooted in several principles of great design:
- Connectivity: The demolition of the overpass tied together several parts of the city and made them seamlessly integrated.
- Accessibility: A new bike path and ample sidewalk space let cyclists and pedestrians be on their way. Pedestrians now cross this intersection with much more ease than previously.
- Openness: The renovation has revealed the glorious (but previously obscured view) of the mountain for all to enjoy, especially when heading north to the Plateau from downtown.
- Maintainability: By eliminating structures that are difficult to maintain, the city has less repairs to perform in the future to keep it functional.
- Capital efficiency: By eliminating structures with more frequent expensive repairs, the city saves money and provides a better street configuration at a lower overall pricetag.
Seeing Orange
Montreal is too often a city in repair.
Major multi-year renovation projects block off important arteries of the city. We can think of major projects like the Turcot interchange and the Acadie circle, or those related to the Champlain and Jacques Cartier bridges. All of these projects have frustrated drivers and sunken millions of man-years worth of human productivity.
Obviously, repairs are an essential and inevitable part of the lifecycle of an infrastructure. However, one often wonders whether these massive investments and daily inconveniences have led to game-changing shifts in the landscape of our city.
In the case of Pine intersection, it now seems obvious that the renovation project has benefited the city.
It’s especially interesting to compare the demolition of the Pine and Parc intersection to the more complex mega structures we are building at massive expense at Turcot and l’Acadie, which will invariably continue to need to be maintained for years to come on taxpayer dime.
The Intersection Today
Is it perfect? Probably not. The 2 to 1 lane merge at Parc and Pine (going downtown) is a predictable and constant daily source of traffic bottlenecks that could be easily improved by modifying the parked car zone.
That said, overall, simplifying the configuration and destroying the structure have proved a very efficient way to open up this space for citizens of Montreal to enjoy.
After all, as master builder Leonardo da Vinci once posited, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.