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Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Downtown Development Plan
By : Affleck de la Riva, architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Urban Design / Urban Design Plan : Silver Certification
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is located in the MRC of Beauharnois-Salaberry in the Montérégie region. The history and identity of this regional town have been shaped by its strategic position in an area of the St. Lawrence River marked by rapids, canals, and hydroelectric facilities.
The Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Downtown Development Plan addresses the redevelopment potential of two specific downtown areas: Quartier Buntin and Quartier de l’Hôtel de Ville. The proposed interventions are part of a broader territorial perspective that aims to ensure the coherent development of the zones bordering these two sectors.
The two areas of study have their own specific history and character. The challenge of the project was to find a balance between defining a global vision of the entire city center, without altering the character that is specific to each of the two sectors under study. The study made it possible to identify the characteristics of the existing urban fabric which require interventions and upgrades. Since the city has undergone certain unfortunate transformations, these elements of the urban fabric require new strategies of consolidation or more complete restructuring.
The urban development objectives identified to guide our project were as follows:
- Focus on landscape features
- Consolidate the role of the city center as a commercial destination
- Improve links between sectors (active transportation)
- Eliminate transit vehicular movements
- Reveal elements of heritage interest
- Promote the development of recreational tourism activities
- Encourage new residents to settle in the city.
Sector 1: the Buntin District
A disaffected working-class neighborhood adjacent to the Montreal Cotton factory, the Buntin District is marked by numerous vacant lots, a lack of population density, poorly defined built form, and very little green space. Since the 1960s, vehicular traffic has been prioritized, as evidenced by the scale and geometry of streets and numerous open-air parking lots. These quadrilaterals therefore badly need to be requalified.
The project proposes the development of a new central park that establishes a visual link between the historic Montreal Cotton factory and the Old Canal. This urban organization also creates a new commercial pole at the intersection of boulevard du Centenaire and Alphonse-Desjardins Street. New residential buildings will frame the green spaces of this new Buntin Park, and the integration of the walls of an historic water basin provides a visual link to the industrial history of the site. The division of lots and the densification of the sector provides for building heights between 4 to 10 floors. The repositioning of Boulevard du Centenaire, a major traffic artery, frees the bank of the Baie Saint-François, allowing for the creation of a new waterfront park.
Sector 2: the City Hall District
The existing urban form of the City Hall District favors car traffic and parking spaces, to the detriment of pedestrian traffic and cyclists, and there is a shortage of quality outdoor public spaces. Two significant buildings, the Town Hall and the former police station, each occupy a block in the heart of the district. Despite their relative proximity, they remain isolated in the omnipresence of vehicular transit arteries.
Among the principal elements of the redevelopment proposal are the creation of new quality urban spaces, the widening of sidewalks, the rerouting of vehicular traffic, the improvement of pedestrian and cyclist circulation, and significant greening. A new public square between the City Hall and the old police station offers a lively, green, and convivial experience. A new placette in front of the City Hall offers a view of the building and the new public spaces. A strategy for the infill redevelopment of vacant lots includes recommendations on the heights, volumes, and dimensions of new buildings throughout the district.
Collaboration
