Montrealers, Make Way for the Placette Saint-Hubert!

On September 16, the Placette Saint-Hubert, located on De Castelnau Street, between Saint-Hubert and Saint-André streets, in the Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension borough, had its official inauguration.

By Juli Pisano, for INT.design, 2021.

This unifying project, made possible thanks to Residia Développement immobilier, Fugère Architecture, Desjardins, the Association of merchants of rue Saint-Hubert and the borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension promises to revitalize the shopping street by creating a friendly space conducive to relaxation and discussion.

Carried out in the presence of Mr. Charles Duchesne, founding president of the Saint-Hubert Street Traders Association and President of Residia Développement immobilier, Mr. Ashraf Mohamed-Ahmed, PH.D., administrator of the Traders Association of rue Saint-Hubert and principal architect at Fugère Architecture, Mr. Jean-Pierre Cantin, general manager of the Caisse Desjardins du Cœur-de-l’Île, Mrs. Giuliana Fumagalli, mayor of the borough of Villeray — Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension, and Ms. Rosannie Filato, Villeray — Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension borough councilor, the event unveiled this cool new place.

Laid out according to a highly user-friendly design concept, this public pedestrian square is made up of wooden structures for seating and accommodating plants, which transforms the street into a place of gathering and relaxation. The Saint-Hubert square includes a terrace, benches, tables, “placottoirs” and lighting that pleasantly liven up the space.

The Placette Saint-Hubert was made possible thanks to the voluntary work of Residia Développement immobilier, which coordinated all the work and of Fugère Architecture, who signed the design. Funding was granted equally by the Borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension and Desjardins.

“With the Placette Saint-Hubert, we are creating a space that promotes exchanges and rapprochement between neighbourhood residents. Being already very present in the sector thanks to our various real estate projects, including the Giantonio and the Lumi, we considered it essential to engage concretely with the local community by creating an inspiring and friendly living environment”, declared Charles Duchesne, President-Founder of the Saint-Hubert Street Merchants Association and President of Residia Développement immobilier.

“The Placettte Saint-Hubert will enrich the life of an entire community with the creation of a place of convergence and socialization that energizes the neighbourhood. This type of initiative is in line with our values and clearly demonstrates the socio-economic leadership as well as the commitment of Desjardins in the community”, to Mr. Jean-Pierre Cantin, General Manager, Caisse Desjardins du Cœur-de-l’Île.

“This new public square clearly demonstrates the interest we have in reinvesting in small civic and pedestrian squares. It’s a great way to reclaim our public space and assess its impacts and its support among residents,” declared the mayoress of the district of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension, Mrs. Giuliana Fumagalli.

The Placette Saint-Hubert is a pilot project coordinated by the Association des merchants de la rue Saint-Hubert, in collaboration with the residents’ committee Collectif Saint-André, so that the borough is able to assess its social acceptability. The street furniture will remain on site at least until next summer (including this winter) but the objective is to make this initiative permanent. If the experiment proves successful, the plot could also be improved through the provision of additional subsidies.

The section of rue De Castelnau located between rue Saint-Hubert and rue Saint-André will be completely closed to automobile traffic but will nevertheless remain accessible to emergency vehicles.

Enjoy!