The Urban Ecology Centre of Montreal, le Comité des Citoyens du Mile End, Car Free Mile End, the YMCA du Parc, and Reimagining St. Viateur (in collaboration with the Urban Planning Department at McGill) are happy to announce three neighbourhood street closures over the course of the summer (2010). In each case, the segment of St. Viateur Ouest from Jeanne-Mance to St Urbain will be transformed into a pedestrian zone closed to east-west vehicular traffic. The three dates proposed are July 17th, August 21st («Journées des bons voisins») and September 25th («Mile-End en mouvement : En ville, sans ma voiture»). Without resorting to an over-blown festival or party atmosphere, our goal is to enhance the most enjoyable aspects of the public space in our neighbourhood.

For the first two of these planned street closures, we are inviting local artisans to participate in a street market in front of St. Michael’s church. The other main idea of these «Journées de bons voisins» is to create an enticing public space in the street for locals and passers-by to enjoy, spend time, and appreciate the benefits of a car-lite environment. On the bill for July 17th and August 21st are artists and musicians in the form of buskers, art installations, and street painting. The YMCA is partnering with us to coordinate youth activities that place an emphasis on creativity and health (sports, games and arts and crafts). Many other community organizations such as Eco-Quartier and Le Centre d'Ecologie Urbaine de Montréal will also be present to interact and create new links withing the already vibrant Mile-End community.

The third event, «Mile-End en mouvement : En ville, sans ma voiture», will be, as its name suggests, slightly different. The chosen date of September 25th follows World Car Free Day, and will be a celebration of, and a public arena for all things sustainable and green: from alternative and active transport, to alternative energy possibilities and initiatives for housing and commerce. While the general ambience of the street will be similar to the first two events, you can expect to see more thematic displays, demonstrations and workshops by invited guests and organizations.

By shutting down the flow of cars in this one section of St. Viateur Ouest – truly the heart of the Mile End– we hope to encourage a renewed perception of this space. Indeed, we like to think of these events as “street openings” rather than closures, since the potential for a really positive experience is enormous! We also think of it as a symbolic act of leadership by the community: not only will we be doing our part in the face of ongoing challenges posed by global warming and energy conservation (where the car plays a huge part), but we hope to inspire other neighbourhoods in the city to do the same thing.