Many voices raised on future of Quartier Concordia

By Amanda Kelly

A lively discussion was held May 11 in the Java U café of the Hall Building about plans for Quartier Concordia, the name being given to the urban planning project surrounding the downtown campus.

The event was part of the University of the Streets Café series, which is organized by Eric Abitbol, of the Institute in Management and Community Development, to facilitate public discussions on a wide range of topics.

“The cafés are not set up to be adversarial events,” Abitbol said. “We try to create a convivial space.” The atmosphere, if not exactly convivial, was stimulating.

The guest speakers were Cecilia Chen, a local architect interested in urban branding, and Clarence Epstein, whose responsibilities as Director of Special Projects includes administering the Quartier Concordia project for the university. Taking part in the discussion were Sir George Williams alumni, local residents, Concordia employees and students.

Quartier Concordia will encompass the existing Sir George Williams Campus, as well as several other new building projects and acquisitions. The plan is to create a distinct, vibrant environment within the downtown area.

Epstein talked about the university’s commitment to the environment and the protection of architectural heritage. He enumerated various benefits Quartier Concordia would bring the local community, including a revitalization of public space and improvements to the circulation of traffic and civic infrastructure (lighting, pavement, signage, etc.).

The discussion that followed his PowerPoint presentation was animated, but the moderator, Melissa Garcia Lamarca, who is the sustainability coordinator for the university, did an excellent job of keeping it focused.

Many people, including a Concordia staff member, expressed concern about the lack of green space in the current plans.

Epstein explained that because there are only three months of the year when green space could be used, the intention is to maximize public space internally. He also pointed out that the Grey Nuns Residence has not open to the public since the 1860s and its recent acquisition by the university will allow unprecedented community access to downtown green space.

Members of the Concordia University Alumni Association were concerned that steps were not being taken to ensure that the heritage of the Sir George William Campus is maintained.

Other issues raised by local residents involved security and lighting, and worries that because the plans do not include student accommodation it will not be a “living quartier.” This prompted a discussion about the lack of government funding for student accommodation.

Participants expressed interest in what efforts are being made to reduce traffic into town and auto use in general. It was revealed that there will not be any underground parking facilities in the new downtown buildings and the City of Montreal was considering a bicycle path that runs east to west along de Maisonneuve Blvd. A suggestion that Bishop St. be closed to cars received wide support.

The first point to be raised — and one that was sustained throughout the discussions — addressed the issue of public consultation. Many of those at the informal discussion said they felt disenfranchised. They had little expectation of transparency and complained that there is no structure for public input.

Since the project’s inception, however, the university has invited input from stakeholders, i.e. institutional neighbours and community organizations, and Epstein said that any proposals or communications about the project could be forwarded to his office, at
cepstein@alcor.concordia.ca or ext. 4867.

As guest speaker Cecilia Chen remarked, “nothing is simple, and multiple voices are important to creating a complex proposal.”