Avenue des Pins

Discipline : Landscape & Territories

Categories : Urban Design / Mobility & greenway network : Gold certification

A significant street in the Plateau Mont-Royal, Avenue des Pins intersects and connects the culturally valuable landscapes of the Mount-Royal Heritage Site and Saint-Laurent Boulevard. It is also framed by two remarkable institutions: to the west, the Hôtel-Dieu, and to the east, the former Institute for Deaf-Mute Girls. Along its route are the Théâtre de Quat’Sous, the Fusiliers Mont-Royal armoury, Saint-Boniface Church, and two schools.

Despite this rich heritage, the avenue long featured an urban environment lacking in quality, almost entirely dedicated to automobiles. To restore its prestige, the City of Montreal undertook the reconstruction of infrastructure and public space along the avenue between Saint-Denis Street and Park Avenue.

The completed interventions promote better sharing of transportation modes and transform the street’s perspective. The roadway has now been reduced to one lane in each direction, and one-way bicycle paths, protected by new rows of trees, have been added. This cycling link completes the local network by strengthening east–west connectivity. To the east, it connects with the Roy Street bike path toward La Fontaine Park and the Rachel cycling link, while to the west, it joins the cycling axis along Park Avenue near Mount-Royal Park.

Along the entire route, intersections have been reconfigured with vegetated bump-outs and urban lounges, as well raised thresholds that help calm traffic in residential areas and make crossings safer.

Near the Hôtel-Dieu, located at the foot of Mount Royal, distinctive interventions reinforce the site’s heritage value. Running along the stone boundary wall on the north side, these include the planting of a double row of trees, the material upgrading of the sidewalk, and an expanded forecourt marking the axis of the former chapel. In addition, on the south side, at the end of Jeanne-Mance Street, a small plaza has been created featuring a public artwork that highlights the spectacular view of Mount Royal’s eastern slope. Created by the collective Société des archives affectives, the bronze work pays tribute to the nursing profession. A podcast produced by Portrait sonore lines the new developments and offers 13 chapters on the history of the avenue.

Despite the narrow right-of-way, the design reflects the City’s main objectives: to improve safety, comfort, and the experience of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit users; to increase greening; to provide durable and carefully designed amenities; and to showcase the city’s historic urban landscapes.

The project in images