The main shopping area in the Mercier-Est neighbourhood (better known as Tétreaultville) is located at the intersection of Ormeaux and Hochelaga Streets. For many years, the community has been working to revive this commercial street. The project Parcours ton quartier is the first step in this direction with a focus on improving the street's physical appearance:

• Greening buildings on Hochelaga Street
• Creating pedestrian rest areas on Hochelaga Street
• Making use of vacant store windows

The project also involves creating a path that extends beyond Hochelaga Street and leads to different key neighbourhood destinations, of which several are located on Hochelaga Street.

During the summer of 2011, three public places were created to improve the quality and aesthetic of public space on Hochelaga Street. Residents and visitors now have places where they can socialize and rest without being obligated to purchase anything from one of the existing restaurants. Installing large-scale photographs in two vacant store windows has also helped improve the street's appearance.

Parcours ton quartier is the result of a partnership between Solidarité Mercier-Est, the neighbourhood round table, the borough, who provided logistic support, and different businesses, who allowed portions of their property to be transformed into pedestrian rest areas.

Actions:

• Public benches in different shapes and sizes
• Areas for planting trees and shrubs
• Planters
• Distinct markings on the sidewalk
• More attractive commercial buildings

All three public places have similar characteristics to give the project a sense of uniformity.

The three public places are located:

• In front of Antre-Jeunes, the neighbourhood youth centre, 8615 Hochelaga Street
• In front of Iris eye care centre, 8590 Hochelaga Street
• In front of Boulangerie de l’Est, 8434 Hochelaga Street

The no-longer vacant store windows are located at:

• 8582 Hochelaga Street
• 8430 Hochelaga Street

Results

The project's results have yet to be determined as the project was implemented over the summer of 2011. The official inauguration will take place in the spring of 2012. It will be easier to measure the use of these new public spaces in the summer of 2012.

Partners

The project is led by Solidarité Mercier-Est in partnership with the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and the three businesses.

For more information (in French):

Des places publiques pour dynamiser la rue Hochelaga, Flambeau de l’Est, 26 mai 2011

Inform’est, Solidarité Mercier-Est, 9 septembre 2011, p.5