An unprecedented movement has been underway for several months to relaunch the Latin Quarter on sustainable and innovative bases.
Posted at 1:13 a.m.
Updated at 9:00 a.m.
Monique Simard
President of the Board of Directors of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
Eric Lefebvre
General Director of the Quartier des spectacles Partnership
Major institutions of knowledge and culture as well as key players in socio-economic and real estate development work together and propose projects that improve the quality of life of users and visitors. Projects that have impact and are anchored in the identity of this historic place.
A student district for more than a century, a vibrant space for French-speaking cultural expression, the Latin Quarter has nevertheless suffered severely in recent years: drop in traffic, closure of establishments, issues specific to people in vulnerable situations, in particular.
On May 17, the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership (PQDS), the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ) and the Société de développement commercial du Quartier latin organized a meeting with the stakeholders in the District, as well as the business community and real estate developers involved in the sector, in order to define a vision for the future and common action priorities for the district.
Note that this initiative follows three years of consultations in which 10 institutions in the sector and members of the PQDS and more than thirty partners and stakeholders affiliated with the Latin Quarter participated. Revitalization actions were targeted and led to the completion of several collective projects to liven up and develop the Saint-Denis artery and its surroundings, including green urban development. Agora Maximuswinner of several awards.
New rue Saint-Denis
Our vision is embodied in a neighborhood on a human scale, attractive, welcoming and dynamic from a commercial point of view. It integrates public space development projects, social cohabitation resources, entertainment activities, highlighting the identity of the neighborhood and real estate projects. We want to create a learning, French-speaking neighborhood, rich in culture and history, which brings together the institutions as well as the local communities of the Latin Quarter, the eastern hub of the Quartier des spectacles.
Among the priorities set out during this meeting, the continued development of Rue Saint-Denis, the central artery of the Latin Quarter, stands out as the first essential milestone in a structuring urban transformation.
The upcoming arrival on this central artery of the Latin Quarter of the Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec, the continuation of the restoration of the Espace St-Denis, as well as the announced intentions of the ADISQ and the National School of Humor to settle there, also confirm this importance. However, it is important to initiate investments and put in place coordination of construction sites to minimize the impact of the work so that the transformation projects can fully contribute to the revitalization of the Latin Quarter.
We welcome the clear interest of the City of Montreal and the Government of Quebec in the revival of the Latin Quarter and invite civil society and all sectors concerned with the development of this emblematic district to join the movement and accelerate the pace.
All the elements come together to reveal the immense potential of the Latin Quarter, a unique neighborhood distinguished by the unparalleled concentration of knowledge and cultural institutions, as well as the presence of a solid community and commercial network dedicated to social and solidarity entrepreneurship. Let’s continue this momentum and restore the vitality and dynamism that it deserves to the Latin Quarter by making this emblematic quadrangle of Montreal a true historical, cultural and social center of attraction.
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