Laurence Vincent, Co-president of Prével
< 1 minute
David Nathan
Montréal centre-ville
Montréal centre-ville
A few months from now, the Esplanade Cartier real estate project developed by Prével will arrive on Sainte-Catherine street east. This unique project will redefine what it means to “live together” in Montreal.
How is the esplanade cartier real estate project different?
We wanted to design a human-scale living place, keeping the idea of living together in mind. We brought offices, social housing units, rental units, townhouses, and condos together with nearby businesses and green spaces, for example.
Speaking of green spaces, how did you integrate nature into the project?
In various ways. We created a vast public green space, promoted planting, installed greenhouses on the roofs, and set up vegetated areas. We are also developing urban agriculture to encourage buying local. Plus, we gave priority to pedestrians over cars in what is primarily a living area.
Is the way in which cities are designed changing?
I think we can at the very least offer something new, and that’s what we wanted to do with this project. We need to recreate the proximity that once existed in several villages where the church, general store, and school were nearby, creating a sense of belonging. But for residents to adopt their neighbourhood, you need to give them reasons to get around: a restaurant with a terrace, a library, a public piano, a green space… This appropriation of public spaces—this synergy—is what you can expect with the Esplanade Cartier project.
