Place de l'avenue McGill College: An iconic street

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Avenue McGill College, located in the heart of downtown, is among Montréal’s most prestigious streets. It connects McGill University to the north, to Place Ville Marie to the south, and tens of thousands of students, workers and tourists travel along it every day.

In 1984, this avenue was subject to one of the first public consultations aimed at modifying a development project. Avenue McGill College, as we know it today, with its stunning views of Mount Royal, was protected thanks to the actions of Montréal residents.


An innovative and participative design process

The area around Avenue McGill College is abuzz with excitement with the redesign of Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, the arrival of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) downtown, and major private investments, notably in the revitalization of Place Ville-Marie and its esplanade and the renovation of the Eaton Centre.

In April 2018, the municipal administration announced its intention to reinvent this iconic avenue by bringing it into the 21st century and transforming it into a vast public space.

In order to achieve its vision, the municipal administration initiated a comprehensive planning and consultation process with its partners, taking into account the concerns and aspirations of residents, various local actors, as well as internal and external experts. The project planning process was carried out over a period of roughly 18 months. It included a public consultation led by the OCPM in the fall of 2018, along with various studies, a positioning exercise, and the use of an integrated design process.


The vision retained

The avenue will be transformed into an imposing public space spanning its entire length, from Rue Cathcart to Rue Sherbrooke O. The new design will transform the pedestrian experience in the heart of a naturalized landscape directly in the downtown core. In this newly transformed landscape where everyday life slows down, pedestrians will be invited to soak in the sights and experience Montréal in all its authenticity.

This vision is reflected in the following five development objectives:

  • Deploy abundant vegetation within an iconic landscape on Avenue McGill College.
  • Bring out the spirit of the place by taking into account the historical and heritage dimensions of Avenue McGill College and preserving its commanding view of Mount Royal.
  • Offer a relaxing and people-friendly atmosphere adapted to the contextual variations specific to Avenue McGill College and its various users.
  • Adapt the configuration of the avenue in a way that creates a safe public space where pedestrians are front and centre and where there is coherency in relation to spaces for vehicles and cyclists.
  • Develop an exemplary urban public space in terms of the quality of the materials used and the sustainability of the infrastructures.


An avenue reinvented

On October 31, 2019, an international multidisciplinary urban design competition was launched for Lot 1. The winning concept, by the civiliti + Mandaworks (Sweden) and SNC Lavalin team, in collaboration with Lasalle-NHC, UDO Design, Biodiversité Conseil, Lamontagne Consultants and ÉVOQ, was announced in October 2020. The winning team was mandated to create the detailed project design and to develop plans and specifications for the completion of Lot 1 (Cathcart to De Maisonneuve). Work operations are scheduled to start in 2025.

Please view the city’s Bureau du design Web site for complete details on the competition.


Development of the Place de l’avenue McGill College

  • Lot 1: from rue Cathcart to boulevard De Maisonneuve O.
  • Lot 2: from boulevard De Maisonneuve O. to rue Sherbrooke O.


Avenue McGill College, located in the heart of downtown, is among Montréal’s most prestigious streets. It connects McGill University to the north, to Place Ville Marie to the south, and tens of thousands of students, workers and tourists travel along it every day.

In 1984, this avenue was subject to one of the first public consultations aimed at modifying a development project. Avenue McGill College, as we know it today, with its stunning views of Mount Royal, was protected thanks to the actions of Montréal residents.


An innovative and participative design process

The area around Avenue McGill College is abuzz with excitement with the redesign of Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, the arrival of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) downtown, and major private investments, notably in the revitalization of Place Ville-Marie and its esplanade and the renovation of the Eaton Centre.

In April 2018, the municipal administration announced its intention to reinvent this iconic avenue by bringing it into the 21st century and transforming it into a vast public space.

In order to achieve its vision, the municipal administration initiated a comprehensive planning and consultation process with its partners, taking into account the concerns and aspirations of residents, various local actors, as well as internal and external experts. The project planning process was carried out over a period of roughly 18 months. It included a public consultation led by the OCPM in the fall of 2018, along with various studies, a positioning exercise, and the use of an integrated design process.


The vision retained

The avenue will be transformed into an imposing public space spanning its entire length, from Rue Cathcart to Rue Sherbrooke O. The new design will transform the pedestrian experience in the heart of a naturalized landscape directly in the downtown core. In this newly transformed landscape where everyday life slows down, pedestrians will be invited to soak in the sights and experience Montréal in all its authenticity.

This vision is reflected in the following five development objectives:

  • Deploy abundant vegetation within an iconic landscape on Avenue McGill College.
  • Bring out the spirit of the place by taking into account the historical and heritage dimensions of Avenue McGill College and preserving its commanding view of Mount Royal.
  • Offer a relaxing and people-friendly atmosphere adapted to the contextual variations specific to Avenue McGill College and its various users.
  • Adapt the configuration of the avenue in a way that creates a safe public space where pedestrians are front and centre and where there is coherency in relation to spaces for vehicles and cyclists.
  • Develop an exemplary urban public space in terms of the quality of the materials used and the sustainability of the infrastructures.


An avenue reinvented

On October 31, 2019, an international multidisciplinary urban design competition was launched for Lot 1. The winning concept, by the civiliti + Mandaworks (Sweden) and SNC Lavalin team, in collaboration with Lasalle-NHC, UDO Design, Biodiversité Conseil, Lamontagne Consultants and ÉVOQ, was announced in October 2020. The winning team was mandated to create the detailed project design and to develop plans and specifications for the completion of Lot 1 (Cathcart to De Maisonneuve). Work operations are scheduled to start in 2025.

Please view the city’s Bureau du design Web site for complete details on the competition.


Development of the Place de l’avenue McGill College

  • Lot 1: from rue Cathcart to boulevard De Maisonneuve O.
  • Lot 2: from boulevard De Maisonneuve O. to rue Sherbrooke O.

  • Residents and experts come together to define vocation for Avenue McGill College

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    The design concept for the future Avenue McGill College recently reached a new stage. In February and March, residents and experts took part in a positioning exercise to imagine what the future avenue could be like and reflect on its vocation.

    The activities were created and led by NewCities, a Montréal-based international non-profit organization, whose mission includes assembling and mobilizing communities around big urban challenges.

    Co-creation days

    On February 28 and March 1, some 40 local and international experts came together to develop new positioning for Avenue McGill College. By using the overarching themes that arose from the public consultation and other studies, they worked together to define the vocation of this public space by thinking about its users and the services and activities that should be offered. They also considered changing lifestyles, especially our work, study and travel habits, as well as how complementary the future space could be with other public spaces downtown.

    Morning for residents

    On March 2, some 125 Montréal residents joined experts to continue their work, looking at the positioning that was developed earlier and discussing each proposal from their point of view in order to improve and enrich them.

    At the end of these three days, participants had developed four positioning proposals. The city will select one proposal out of the four, taking conclusions of studies and public consultation results into account. The selected proposal will be used to create the functional and technical development program for the future Avenue McGill College, with a view to launching an international design contest in fall 2019.

    The positioning exercise is part of the vast design process the city has implemented to create a future Avenue McGill College that meets residents’ expectations and is worthy of one of the world’s loveliest downtown areas.

  • Invitation to attend a citizen matinee meant to spark further reflection on Avenue McGill College’s new vocation

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    Montréal’s downtown is undergoing a profound transformation!

    Within this context, the municipal administration is rethinking its downtown core, including the prestigious Avenue McGill College. One of the steps in this process consists of defining the positioning of this space, that’s to say the role it should play, specifically in regards to the services it will offer and the activities it will host.

    Local and international experts across a variety of disciplines are cordially invited to weigh in on this issue over a period of two days, notably on February 28th and March 1st, 2019.

    Residents will then be invited to a matinee public consultation regarding the future vocation of Avenue McGill College, to be held Saturday, March 2nd. Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante will attend part of the event.

    The recommendations arising from this exercise will be integrated into the development program that will be drafted in the spring of 2019. The program will act as a guide for participants in the design competition, which will be held in the summer of 2019.

    The municipal administration has mandated NewCities, an international organization dedicated to improving urban life, to oversee this exercise.

    Registration
    Click here to participate in the citizen matinee.

    N.B.
    A light lunch will be served after the event. In addition, a childcare service will be made available free of charge (registration required).

    For complete details on the event, please contact the NewCities team at the following address: events@newcities.org

  • Continued reflection on the future of Avenue McGill College

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    Downtown Montréal is undergoing a profound transformation. It is against this backdrop that the municipal administration announced in April 2018 its intention to rethink one of Montréal’s iconic streets: prestigious Avenue McGill College. This process began last fall when the Office de consultation publique de Montréal was given a mandate to solicit the public’s opinion on Avenue McGill College’s future development.

    The municipal administration is proud to announce that the reflection process will continue this winter! On January 9, Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante and executive committee member responsible for large parks, green spaces and major projects, Luc Fernandez, announced that the NPO NewCities was given a mandate to organize and carry out a positioning initiative aimed at identifying the role of the future Place McGill College, notably in regards to the services it will offer, the activities it may host, and the different uses that will be targeted.

    For further information, please view the press release on the subject.

Page last updated: 10 Oct 2023, 09:37 AM