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THE CIVIC ASSETS STUDIO

SHERBROOKE STREET PHASE 1

THE CIVIC LIFE OF SHERBROOKE STREET

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STREETSCAPE

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STREETSCAPE

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Elevation of the street

Materials

Bricks dark Bricks Clear

Sheet metal Cladding / joynerie Copper

Glass

Concrete

Stone

Density

Height

STATIC

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Place Charles-Este

Streetscape

UniversitĂŠ Concordia

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STREETSCAPE

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Place Guy-Viau

Parc NotreDame-de-

STATIC

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Parc de l’hotelde-ville

Jardin Queen Elizabeth

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STREETSCAPE

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Avenue Atwater

College de Montreal

McGill University

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STATIC

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Rue Berri

Streetscape

Avenue du Parc

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STREETSCAPE

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Parc Lafontaine

Jardin communautaire / piscine

STATIC

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Pie IX Parc olympique

Streetscape

Paroisse Saint-Emilie

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STREETSCAPE

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Civic porosity: Publicly accessible doors after midnight

Getting In This study is a measure of the accessibility of public spaces, by means of permeability, or porosity. When we speak of accessibility, we usually imply accessibility for the physically disabled, or accessibility via modes of transportation, as in the usual sense of the word. However, what is meant by accessibility here is whether or not a building entrance is locked or not after midnight. This test is one way to measure the temporal permeability of the urban landscape.

The data for this analysis was collected by testing doorways, building entrances, or gates within the down-

town area between Atwater and Parc.

Only public buildings and offices were tested, not residential homes or rowhouses.

The results of this data analysis showed that of the 123 entrances

that were tested, only 35 doors were unlocked after midnight. and the remaining 88 were locked, and therefore impermeable. This means that for the portion of downtown (Atwater to Parc), the degree of porosity on

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STATIC

13 Legend Short line - closed door Long line - open door

Hotels are another location where the entrance is never locked.

Establishments such as churches, shops, and educational facilities are of the category that is impermeable after hours.

Legend Short line - closed door Long line - open door

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STREETSCAPE

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Civic porosity: Publicly accessible doors after midnight

Lotto Quebec Building

Schulich School of Music

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STATIC

15 Legend Short line - closed door Long line - open door

The Ritz Carlton

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

St. Andrew and Peter's

Legend Short line - closed door Long line - open door

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16 Banks often have vestibules that remain unlocked so that their clients may enter and use the ATM inside. Some homeless people know this too, and have used these vestibules to keep warm in winter.

STREETSCAPE

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STATIC

Streetscape

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Luminosity on the street

The impermeable facades on the commercial strip remain brightly lit during the night

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Lumino-∫city∫: A street aglow

Luminescence of Sherbrooke Street, facing North (top) and South (bottom).

From Downtown to Pie IX.

Night Lights This study of Sherbrooke’s lighting was performed as a metric to determine how safe it felt to walk on Sherbrooke Street at night, based on how well it was lit.

Generally, Sherbrooke Street was found to be quite well lit throughout, with the exception of small patches of sidewalk occasionally.

Light eminating from traffic signals, grocery stores, depaneurs,

STREETSCAPE

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Streetscape

DYNAMIC

gas stations, football stadiums, decorative lawn lighting, art sculptures, car headlights, taillights, and even the moonlight all provided a contribution to the overall brightness of the street at night.

Bus shelters are well-lit from within using neon advertisements encased in the shelter walls.

However, the side streets directly off of Sherbrooke were considered quite dark in comparison. It was observed that trees in particular are what obstructed light from reaching the pavement in darkened areas.

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Luminescence of Sherbrooke Street, facing North (top) and South (bottom).

From Downtown to Pie IX.

Street Lamps There are a variety of street lamps and lamp posts of varying styles and heights along the street, which overlap in their lighting coverage and intensities, providing ample illumination for pedestrians and cars

STREETSCAPE

DYNAMIC

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Alleyways along Sherbrooke

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3

Alleyways along Sherbrooke all have different characteristics and social atmospheres depending on the area they are in, thus through studying the alleyways, we can understand better the change of place along Sherbrooke. However, they all carry 4 common informal programs: garbage collection, greenery, gatherings of people and parking.

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8 7 4 5

6 0 0.175 0.35

0.7

1.05

1.4 Kilometers

24214

215

25 People

1

1

Parking entrance Fences

0

1.5

3

6

9

12 Meters

2

3

216

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2

1

2

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Restaurant’s rear door Fences Circulation People

217

27

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2.75 5.5

11

16.5

22 Meters

218

28

3

1

2

3

Parking entrance Fences Circulation People Construction

0

2.25 4.5

9

13.5

18 Meters

219

29

0 2.25 4.5

9

13.5

People

4

18 Meters

Parking entrance Fences Circulation People

1

220

30

5

1 0

2

3

Parking entrance Fences Circulation People Machinery

2.5

5

10

15

20 Meters

221

31 People

6

1 0 2.75 5.5

Restaurant’s rear door Fences Circulation People

11

16.5

22 Meters

2

3

224

STREETSCAPE

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Crimes

Recorded Homicides AlongvSherbrooke West from 2007 to 2013 Cavendish

February 16th, 2007 Body of a 32 year old man found in a parked car.

August 12th, 2008 Tony Magi, 48 years old, is strafed in his car at 6h 30. Magi had relations with italian mafia Rizzuto.

January 14th, 2011 The victim was in an apartment on Clarke Ave., between Sherbrooke St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd., just before 11 p.m., when he got into an argument with another man.

Police say the fight carried both men outside, where the victim was shot three times, once in the neck.

The victim was taken to hospital and pronounced dead. He has been identified as Jason Peagram, a graduate of Lower Canada College who studied economics at Concordia University.

0 .5

1

2

3

4

km

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PATTERNS

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Decarie Decarie

Atwater

June 14th, 2008 Doctor Javanmardi gives a mineral injection to her patient Robert Mattern, 84 years old, whom dies of a heart attack the next day. The doctor is accused of involuntary homicide.

January 14th, 2011 Jason Peagram is shot at the back of the neck after an altercation with another man.

May 2nd, 2008 Gordon Nesta, 18 years old, and a 15 year old boy are kidnapped by 2 armed men. Gordon is put to his knees and shot.

Homicides Homicides

Montreal Built Montreal Built 1 homicide 1 homicide 2 homicides 2 homicides

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STREETSCAPE

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Crimes

Recorded Homicides in Sherbrooke East from 2008 to 2013

August 26th 2007 St-Laurent

Parc

Peel

Maxime Rushameza, 29 years old, is beaten and stabbed to death by 5 other men at 5h00

May 4th, 2008 October 22nd, 2013

‘He was a young man who wanted to do better’ Andrew Hunte was walking in Little Burgundy a few weeks ago when he crossed paths with Steve Edwards, a community worker who mentors troubled young black men in the west end. Hunte, 22, was in good spiritsbefore 11 p.m. Hunte was shot in the heart outside Condordia Universiityearly Sunday after a fight broke out between a drunken partygoer and a group of men from Little Burgundy.

June 27t

Remains of a body is discovered in a recycling bin

2 murde murder February 4th, 2009

May 4th, 2008

July 29th, 2013

Andrew Hunte, 22 years old, is shot in front of Sir GeorgeWilliams campus by aman who was associated with a street gang.

An elderly woman is attacked by an aggressive man at midnight.

Those who knew Hunte described him as a loving father and a caring big brother who took his younger siblings to football and basketball games and to choir practice.

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1

Trevor Graham is found dean in Seven Seasons Hotel from an heroine overdose which had been injected to him by anther man

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3

4

km

June 25th, 2008 Jordan Apponi, 19 years old, is beaten to death at 4h 30 by 2 intoxicated men

August 30th, 2007

February 11st, 2008

Andre Franche, 66 years old, is found in pieces in a dumpster.

Uden Islam, 20 years old, is shot over a drug deal.

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PATTERNS

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October 17th, 2011 A 43 yearl old man is hurt after an altercation and is later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Both men were known to have mental illnesses

Papineau

th, 2012

ers and 1 attempted r at Hospital Notre-Dame.

August 29th, 2007

Streetscape

The body of a 30 year old man is found in the street.

December 22nd, 2008 The bodies of Valerie Martin, 21 years old, and Sylvain Senneville, 35 years old, are found in their apartments.

January 4th, 2009 Sylvere Cormier, 44 years old, is raped and beaten to death.

Homicides Montreal Built 1 homicide Homicides Montreal Built 1 homicide

2 homicides

2 homicides

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STREETSCAPE

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™Asseyez-Vous âˆŤ: A Bench Study

Formal Street Furniture Benches on Sherbrooke Street come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles: wood, steel, stone, concrete are just some of the ones shown here.

Take five: enjoying a restful moment on a sunny day

Data was collection for this study from personal observations, numerous site walks, online photographs (shared by mapping websites, personal blogs, and social networking media). Data analysis showed that there are about 80 benches from Westminster to Pie IX (a distance of 14.5 km). This quantity does not include benches that are a part of public parks or located on grassy medians between Sherbrooke and neighboring streets (often triangular-shaped plots). These areas accounted for an additional 95 benches that maintained a close proximity to the street.

For pedestrians walking along Sherbrooke Street, formal street furniture (benches) along Sherbrooke seemed

few and far-between. Perhaps this is due to their uneven distribution along the road. Going from west to east: there are approximately 50 benches from Westminster to Atwater; but only 15 benches from Atwater to Parc; and another 15 benches from Parc to Pie IX. The benches seem to be more densely distributed in the more affluent neighborhoods, regardless of program (residential, commercial or educational).

However, people will always look for (and find!) a place to sit, even if formal street furniture is not provided. There are ample places to sit if you consider informal urban seating as created by the architectural elements of the build-

ing and site. These include knee-walls, ledges, landscaping planters, etc.

In this respect, Sherbrooke Street is comfortable for all users and pedestrain travelers as there are many places where one can sit , rest, or enjoy a bit of good weather before needing to move on.

Informal street furniture, these were abundant in the downtown area between Atwater to Parc. Almost every city block offered low walls, steps, or ledges that would be comfortable to sit on and still be considered public space. This came to approximately the length of 20 city blocks, if you include both sides of the street. (Therefore, steps that were the property of private

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PATTERNS

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Streetscape

Lean on me: students lean against and sit on the ledge near Roddick

residential row houses, or similar commercial brownstones were not included here).

In contrast, the remainder of Sherbrooke Street was sparcely populated with informal seating. There were only about 5 city blocks (in total length) of informal seating from Westminster to Atwater, and another 10 blocks (in total length) of informal seating from from Parc to Pie IX. The data analysis indicates that Sherbrook is not meant as a final destination (unless one is a paying customer or patron); but it is in fact a thoroughfare.

As one of the primary arteries of Montreal, it is used to efficiently to

move travelers from one end of the island to the other quickly. Once the traveler has neared or reached his/her destination, then Sherbrooke subtly directs them off the main street to a side-street where they can enjoy the views at a slower pace.

In conclusion, Sherbrooke was not designed to be a “resting spot” nor gathering place for people. It is meant to be dynamic and constantly moving.

The lack of public seating on Sherbrooke may be intentional, to keep the flow of traffic moving quickly, without congestion.

Note: two seating options that have been intentionally excluded from this analysis are bus shelters and outdoor

cafes.

We opted to exclude street-side cafes and restaurants from this discussion because those are privately owned establishments and they are for paying patrons only, whereas this research is focused on public seating.

As for the bus shelters, the decision was made to omit those as well from this study because they target a specific user (the traveler.) as opposed to the general user. Bus shelters will be dealt with in more detail as part of the “Travel Experience” map. Here, we are considering the general need for a place to sit and enjoy whatever view is offered without having any other purpose or destination.

Informal Urban Seating When proper benches are not available, people will make use of steps, planters, low walls, and ledges to take the load off.

STREETSCAPE 196

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The Seating Guide

w broadway

westminister

west hill

cavendish

vendome

decarie

av. wood

av. clarke

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PATTERNS

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av. row girouard

marcil

hampton

kensington

victoria

Formal street furniture (benches) guy

atwater

Informal street furniture (ledges, low walls, knee-walls, etc.)

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peel

montagne

crescent

berri

st. denis

st. laurent

st. urbain

fullum

lorimier

papineau

moreau

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PATTERNS

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parc

university

mcgill college

amherst frontenac

Formal street furniture (benches)

Pie IX

bourbonniere

chambly

Informal street furniture (ledges, low walls, knee-walls, etc.)

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STREETSCAPE

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Construction

People and Construction The seasonal presence of construction causes temporary change in the patterns of movement and the atmosphere of the city. Sherbrooke is

no different, and the following phtos document the Sherbrookers interaction with this ephemeral phenomenon.

Obstacles cause a change in movement patterns and may become a concern for

safety. Physical obstruction of space is accompanied sensorially by the noise, the dust, the smell of construction, a manifest presence in the streetscape. i

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States of Construction

Streetscape

CONSTRUCTION DYNAMIC

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Construction

Construction language and atmosphere With its mix of dust, heavy machinery and orange cones, construction becomes the common symbology readily recognized in all neighbourhoods of Montreal.

The inescapable bright orange cones become a sort of street memorabilia which announces obstacles, movement limitation, and safety concerns in possibly the only universal language of the island.

STREETSCAPE

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DYNAMIC

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Construction language and atmosphere

Legend By definition, the construction space is temporary. The following is a snapshot of the state of the street, documented September 2014.

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™On the Side∫

MacKay Street: Concordia Frosh Festival 2014 Musical concerts, bodypainting, and other fun, high-energy activities could be found on MacKay street during September 2014 as part of Concordia’s Frosh party.

Concordia University Frosh Festival 2014

Many of the side streets off of Sherbrooke lead pedestrians away from the fast-paced thoroughfare to wider sidewalks and a slow-paced rhythm.

In the Downtown area particularly, these streets are often closed off to traffic to allow for large gatherings, celebratory events, and other festivals.

For those who have leisure time and want to enjoy the space, the side streets to the South of Sherbrooke are often used for that purpose.

For example, Concordia University recently organized their back-to-school Frosh party on MacKay Avenue. The street was closed to traffic, alowing pedestrians to stop and enjoy the many

booths set up for video gaming, facepainting, and food/beverages.

Wood Street near Westmount boasts of high-end sidewalk finishes and a surpus of benches that encourage pedestrians to stop and visit their cozy neighborhood of gourmet supermarkets and high-end boutiques.

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DYNAMIC

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Streetscape

McCord Museum: The Urban Forest 2014

McGill College is another example of how wide sidewalks beckon passersby to stroll on it and linger to read the historical billboards of McGill University, and have a seat on the copper benches with statues of children sitting playfully on them.

McCord Museum uses Victoria Street to set up many of their outdoor art

installations. Currently, the street has been transformed into an “Urban Forest” of wire-frame trees, decked out in hundreds of brightly colored satin ribbons, and the forest “grounds” are covered by giant lily-pads of bright orange carpet. The picnic tables complete the scene.

In these areas, seating density in-

creased where there were civic assets such as museums, festival grounds, or even high-end gourmet shops. People tended to use the urban seating more when the benches were positioned towards an interesting view, or located in an area that allowed them to indulge in their favorite pastime: people-watching.

Victoria Street: Urban Forest 2014 Visitors enjoy lunch outdoors under the orange satin ribbon trees.

The museum encourages everyone to experience the installation by using it as a short respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

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STREETSCAPE

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Attraction vs Distraction

Gathering in NDG parc A good example of creation of a center of attraction. While routine may supersede engagement with environment and the public sphere- contextual exceptions arise. This hip hop-themed gathering was organized within the community, and appealed to a wide public.

The juxtaposition of a breakdancing competition, sharing at the level of street food , and educational, family oriented activities such as painting for children make it a great example of civic engagement, a state of action in an environment of attraction.

One participant, Diego, came with his

Sociability and Civic Appropriation Along Sherbrooke street, large and small communal areas are available for public use. Parcs hold a particular potential for a variety of possible

gathering types. The following study documents activities of the parcs. that are not coordinated by political entities, but rooted in a communal need and acted upon on the stage of the public.

We can distinguish between two ways of being on the street: action and distraction. In a state of action, one is engaged and responsive to the common stage that is the public space. At the opposite end, distraction occurs in those states of disengagement, one’s

Streetscape

Experience

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Baldwin Parc Community Garden

response being muted, their reactions to the public sphere diluted.

The current analysis is an investigation into the types of social an physical engagement that is encountered alongSherbrooke street, at the public level.

For this purpose, another variable has been added: attraction, with regards to the quality of a space as it is used by the public.

States of attraction are those created in environments conducive towards

active, independent public display of action.

Movement originating from a need of gathering or being heard, ad-hoc manifestations, or simple communal costums of the street are examples of non co-ordinated, active participatory movement.

The following document the location and qualities of these public platforms for display of communal action and voice, undetermined by central organization by any political entities.

In the span of one week, three types of action were documented in Shebrooke’s parcs: Singular, acute protest, in Lafontaine parc.

Recurring gatherings, affirmatory of identity in NDG parc.

Regular, activities, such as the comunity garden in Baldwin Parc

Right off Sherbrooke street, the calm Baldwin parc opens up to a pool and communal garden.

The space of the garden bears the marks of appropriation, clad with “memorabilia� relics of usage- paintings, affiches.

NDG A hip-hop, break dancing competition, burritos, and finger painting, all in the same setting.

This community-made event is demonstrative of the NDG character, as a distinct district of Montreal, with a particular identity, strongly claimed by its residents.

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Attraction vs Distraction

Protest in Lafontaine Parc This gathering is more formal, and also more active in its approach. The public parc space is used here as a platform for protest. Students, as well as representatives of a few local political parties were speaking out against current political decisions with regards to environmental issues. This is another instance of action in the public platform.

STREETSCAPE

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Streetscape

PATTERNS

Community Garden, Art, in Baldwin Parc This community garden is a formal platform for civic interaction, offering a recurring opportunity for action. We can see that citizens are not limited to using the area for gardening, and personalize their space through display of art.

More subtle, durable state of attraction, creating a recurring opportunity for action and interaction.

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Private spaces at the periphery

The East End At Sherbrooke’s periphery, private spaces bleed into the public sphere, providing what seems to be front row seating for the spectacle of the street.

Private life is carried publicly, on the balconies and generous lawns next to the sidewalk. Most balconies are equipped with barbecues, chaises-longues and bikes. The appropriation of this liminal space makes the interaction between the domestic realm and the exterior an active, participatory one.

STREETSCAPE

PATTERNS

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STREETSCAPE

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Private spaces at the periphery

West End In NDG, the public space of the street takes on characteristics of the domestic domain. Once again, all the objects required for installing oneself and enjoying the spactacle of the street are there, not so much through residential display of balconies, but through the commercial strips themselves. The lawn space that is quite developped in the east, is replace in the west end by a generous sidewalk, used for communal and commercial activities, acting almost as a compensatory mechanism.

The difference between these two forms of appropriation lies in the types of interaction they accomodatee: western Sherbrooke’s sidewalk is not bare, it becomes a social platform for interaction, with diverse movement patterns and players. This does not prevent residents from truly appropriating the space in a personal manner.

In Trenholme Parc, for example, a public gym was “planted”, notably not in the more discrete areas of the parc, but right next to the sidewalk.

This process of osmosis between private & public is also entertained by physical factors of building typology.

The height of buildings at the periphery rarely exceeds four stories, the critical point at which eye contact can be maintained between residents of upper floors and passerbys. This ensures at least a visual interaction between the inhabitants of public and private realm.

PATTERNS

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Streetscape

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Display of the domestic in its varying degrees along Sherbrooke street

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ADRIANA MOGOSANU, ARIELA LENETSKY, CRYSTAL LEE, DANNY KIM, HAGOP SARIAN, JUSTIN HUNG, KAMILLA JOLICOEUR, KATIE LEE, MANON PAQUET, NANCY NAGY-SERAGELDIN, PIERRE-ANTOINE PERNOT, ROSE DENG, ROXANNE TURMEL, SUKUONG LEE, AND TANIA PILON, TALIA DORSEY.

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