5. Physical Features &
Natural Condition
• Blocks are well defined by sidewalks
• High rise apartment buildings (+15 floors)
• Streets in good condition due to proper
maintenance methods
• Maisonneuve street is lined with trees on one
side
6. Physical Features and
Natural Conditions• Adequate lighting on main streets (Sherbrooke, St.
Catherine)
• Seating areas on both sides of Maisonneuve Street
• Structures are mixed architectural typology; old
facades (homes on St. Mathieu) and new age design
(JMSB). (strength AND weakness: see weaknesses)
8. Land use
(legend)• University (JMSB).………….....institutional
• Bank (TD).……………………institutional
• Restaurants, Dépanneurs ……..commercial
• Apartments, Town Houses……residential
• Fire Station ....………………….services
10. Between Sherbrooke and
Lincoln Street2285 St. Mathieu = Depanneur and B3 Café
below + 16 floors of apartments
2255 St Mathieu = sushi shop + 14 floors of
apartments
2300s Sherbooke = all town houses
1610 Sherbrooke = Chocolaterie,
Optometrist and FINO restaurant + 4 floors
of apartments
2250 Guy = Depanneur and Discount + 30
floors of apartments
2355 Guy = Depanneur + 18 floors of
apartments
11. Between Lincoln and de
Maisonneuve Street1608 – 1630 Lincoln = Subway, Computer Repair,
Dollar Store, Kebab Palace …
1625 de Maisonneuve – Starbucks, Liquid
Nutrition, Quiznos, Altaib + 18 floors of
apartments
1645 de Maisonneuve – Tropical Hawaii, Hair
Salon + 18 floors of apartments
2055 de Maisonneuve – La Ficelle, Depanneur,
Fruiterie + 20 floors of apartments
2121 St Mathieu – Sushi + 16 floors of apartments
1666 – 1682 Lincoln – Bronzage, Restaurant, nail
Salon
1650 – Café and Santangelo + 15 floors of
apartments
12. Between de Maisonneuve
and
St. Catherine Street
1600 St Catherine = TD Canada Trust
1602 – 1651 St Catherine –
Dagwoods, Mourelatos, O Noir, Salon
Octopussy
1648 Pierce = town houses
1630 Pierce = Double Pizza,
Photocopy, Travel Agency
1455 de Maisonneuve = JMSB
Concordia University
13. Between de Maisonneuve
and
St. Catherine (cont.)
1655 St Catherine = 3 amigos, YEH! Yogourt,
Western Union
1675 St Catherine = Jean Coutu and Clinic
1439 St. Mathieu = Noodle restaurant, Du
Bonheur Restaurant, Dentist
1455 St Mathieu = Fire Station
1662 de Maisonneuve = Angelo restaurant, Thai
restaurant + 2 floors of apartments
1650 de Maisonneuve = Depanneur, Dry
Cleaning + 13 floors of apartments
19. Demographics
• Leasing apartments provide
housing for students
• Visible population includes
students, staff of the university and
predominantly; workers passing by
the area to get to their destination
• Ages: 18 - 65
• Both sexes
• Caucasian, Middle – Eastern and
Asian ethnicities
20. Economic$
• Generally, the government finances all improvements of
roads, infrastructure and landscape architecture (through
property tax and budget allocation)
• Low effort of landlords attempting to finance interior
apartment improvements
• Store/Restaurant owners finance their respective
improvement programs and updates to their businesses
• The area’s economic growth is largely dependent on
students and staff of the University
21. Planning Process
• New Age infrastructure improvements (steel and glass
facades)
• Areas for sitting (in front of Tim Hortons and Java U) shows
initiative to accommodate public comfort
• Very good street maintenance
• Private interest in improving the area must be high due to the
constant construction (especially on de Maisonneuve Street)
24. Potholes and
Sidewalks
Even though the street is very
well maintained, there are
many potholes and deep cracks
in the sidewalks
Bad sidewalks on de
Maisonneuve Street from and
including Lincoln ave.
Clear degeneration of sidewalks
in front of the metro station
and going toward the
University’s Hall Building.
25. Building Edges
The towering structures that line the
streets create several shaded spots
on Guy and de Maisonneuve Street.
Lincoln ave. and the parking lots
between blocks are completely
covered in darkness for most of the
day
This can be unpleasant and unsafe
for pedestrians at night
27. Land Use
Some businesses on the block are
open 24 hours or open until late
which creates pedestrian and
vehicular traffic until late at night
On the residential streets, it gets
empty around 10:00pm on week
days
Questionable land occupancy like
strip clubs and massage parlors.
*The highlighted squares indicate
the businesses open late
( St. Catherine )
31. Demographic/Behavioural
• Very young attitude (imbalanced user group) –
more likely not to care about the built
environment
• Although the area is neither dull nor abandoned,
there is still a considerable amount of garbage
rather than recycling programs in affect
• Pedestrian traffic is fast pace leaving little regard
or respect for the fellow pedestrian/environment
33. Economic$
Large corporations and chains occupy busy areas leaving
no room for family owned businesses or sit-down
restaurants that would attract the creative business class
and tourists
Makes the area look typical of cliché student commodities
– coffee and fast food
34. Planning Process
• Public is interested in improvements but
expectations are too high for municipal
budget or undermined by politicians (wider
sidewalks, fix potholes, better lighting, more
seating…)
38. Lighting
Better lighting on
the streets that are
particularly dark and
in between buildings
on the blocks that
have alley ways.
39. Greenery
shrubberyin the
seating areas ( Tim
Hortons and Java)
Also add more green in
between buildings (in
alleys)
Greenery + lighting ideas
seen in the previous slide = a
more pleasant environment on
de Maisonneuve Street and in
shaded areas thereby
eliminating weakness
40. Architectural Harmony
We should try to achieve
architectural harmony…
at least with the
structures that line the
main streets
42. Parking
Add a paying parking
complex with many
floors to relieve drivers
We can also then turn
surrounding asphalt
parking areas into green
space and retail
opportunity for students
and pedestrians
43. Appropriating Land
Concordia University should
appropriate the strip clubs,
billiard pubs and run down small
businesses on St. Catherine.
Turn properties into class rooms,
offices for the administration and
facilities to be used by students.
A student mall or pool could
generate revenue for the school
and in turn the municipality.
44. Demographic
• Attract business class that work in the surrounding
areas by building nicer, sustainable restaurants
(Baton Rouge…) instead of small noodle shops that
don’t last more than a few years.
• Attract more tourists by putting an information stand
in Concordia or outside that gives info on the site,
the history of Concordia University (etc) … offer
free/paying tours around campus a few times a
week. This also has the potential to attract
prospective students.
45. Economic$
• Lower rents would be ideal but not reality
• Attract creative business class to stimulate
economy
46. Planning Process
• Do a survey to figure out what matters most to the population
in terms of improvements
• Gather information on what businesses’ income is during the
year to know where to focus the improvements (in terms of
physical environment, the focus should be on needy areas to
give them a boost)
• The city in collaboration with Concordia University is
enthusiastic about construction around de Maisonneuve
Street but nothing has been done to the surrounding streets.
47.
48. Physical Environment
• A parking structure would be
initially costly and aesthetically
unpleasant
• Buildings become landmarks and
are protected by the law against
developing new and improved
infrastructure (TD BANK).
• Architectural Harmony is especially
costly
49. Land use
• Small store fronts like the ones on St. Catherine
and St. Mathieu (small noodle or sushi shops) are
an inefficient use of land…they do not attract as
many pedestrians and do not generate as much
economy as building known sit-down restaurants
and ammenities
• Too many neglected small businesses threaten to
make the area look poor, rundown and
unappealing to pedestrians
50. Demographic
• Imbalanced user group creates a stigma within
the area and is threatening to outsiders or non-
students
• The youth is not exposed to non-students as
much as they would be in other areas of
downtown and therefore they can adopt
behaviours that are not necessarily appropriate
outside of their respective districts (pushing and
shoving to get to class, talking on cell phones
while crossing the street)
51. Economic$
• No boost of local economy because employment
is outsourced
• Taxes and rents are too high which leaves little
budget for the proper maintenance of family-
owned or small businesses.
• Though lowering rent is ideal, it is not feasible for
the municipality whose income is mostly
generated by property tax
52. Planning Process
• Different or increasing regulations imposed by
the municipal government can impede or
divert progress on development
• Undermining of projects or misinterpretation
of data can lead to false conclusions or
assumptions and convoluted planning
initiatives
