Columbus, Ohio, USA
The Urban Forest, designed by WANTED landscape llc in collaboration with the McCord Museum, is a transformative project that has redefined public space in downtown Montreal since its inception in 2011.
This initiative converts an ordinary street into a vibrant pedestrian area, emphasizing community engagement over vehicular traffic.
For its inceptio and design concept, Urban Forest has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Montreal’s longest continuous street transformation, showcased at the McCord Museum of Social History, celebrates people over cars by creating an enchanting, humanized environment.
The Urban Forest is firmly established in downtown Montreal’s social landscape and is a barometer of social change.
Each summer, this transformation turns an ordinary street into a lively, socially engaged environment, becoming a cherished public space.
In a city known for its ephemeral events, the Urban Forest, initiated by the McCord Museum, stands as Montreal’s longest continuous street transformation.
Thirteen years of design iteration and experimentation advocate for the democratization of road spaces.
The Urban Forest was a pioneer in Montreal’s movement to close roads for pedestrian use during the summer, gaining momentum in 2011 with Saint-Catherine and Victoria Streets.
While ephemeral seasonal events are a significant part of Montreal’s cultural history, this initiative marks a shift, allowing for diverse uses, programming, and festivities in spaces traditionally reserved for cars.
Since the early 2000s, pop-up public spaces have appeared in many cities worldwide, often resulting from community-based initiatives claiming small urban areas, frequently on leftover road spaces.
Montreal’s long history of organized ephemeral events has not typically extended to entire seasons or roadways.
These new temporal spaces prioritize pedestrians over cars, enhancing neighborhoods, generate revenue, and drawing attention to civic institutions and organizations.
Most importantly, they provide a much-appreciated public space for residents and visitors.
The Urban Forest on Victoria Street, created by the McCord Museum, in collaboration with the City of Montreal, and a design firm, actively contributes to the city’s dynamic cultural environment and challenges traditional notions of public space.
Its success highlights the programmed and spontaneous uses that flourish here while questioning the dominant role of cars in urban planning.
Project: Urban Forest, McCord Museum
Designers: WANTED landscape llc.
Design Team: France Cormier, Thierry Beaudoin, Jared Brocklehurst, Yuming Hsu, Joie Chan, Frederick Caplette, and Paula Meijerink
Manufacturer: McCord Museum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
