Provencher_Roy has released photos of their recently completed pedestrian redevelopment along a six-block stretch of Montreal’s heavily-trafficked Sainte-Catherine St. West commercial district just north of Ville-Marie.

The project entailed the reimagining of a busy former four-lane street into a singular pedestrian and bicycle route between De Bleury and Mansfield Streets with the help of engineering consultants CIMA +.

The plan increased greenery in the area by a total of 46% while eliminating street parking and drastically widening the sidewalk to create a linear plaza that connects a disjointed network of squares and public monuments into one “cohesive urban landscape.” 

Modular paving was used to achieve a visual distinction between vehicular lanes and the protected pedestrian zones for additional safety. Carefully-placed tree clusters and seating areas by the noted Québécois industrial designer and new Provencher_Roy senior consultant Michel Dallaire populate the newly-formed linear promenade without creating clutter. The scheme also works to recenter historic Phillips Square in line with a 19th Century plan that would have made it a cohesive focal point of the city’s downtown core.

"We literally created a romantic oasis in the heart of downtown and I hope that Montréalers will embrace this revisited garden, the refreshment of its shaded areas and its water features, while enjoying the views of the historic buildings that frame it,” Sonia Gagné, who led the design team, said of the project's central $50 million component. 

Downtown Montreal’s latest transformation is highlighted by the ongoing redevelopment of the nearby Quartier des Spectacles featuring prominently the renovation of the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (MAC) by Saucier+Perrotte and the firm’s lurid 13-story Îlot Balmoral tower next door. Additional redevelopment is underway now to the west of the project, which will then combine into one environmentally-considerate hub aimed at aiding Mayor Valérie Plante's goal to create the "greenest city in North America."