By: Marion Gale, Ellen Heshusius, Ted Horton, Chelsea Medd, Thushanti Selvarajah

McGill University School of Urban Planning

Studio 2

Winter 2013

The Bassin du Moulin plan was built around the idea of a diverse community in a neighbourhood that promoted active-transportation. Oriented in the east towards the Peel Basin waterfront and a renewed Wellington Basin, which echoes the site’s industrial heritage; the site is divided by a chain of green parks that provide ample activity spaces for its residents and surrounding community. With one of the lowest parking minimums for a new development in Montreal, the Bassin du Moulin connects to active transportation paths both inside and outside of the site to bring residents downtown and to the surrounding communities of Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles. Such green facilities and mobility options will serve the project’s diverse community well – 15% of the residential units are affordably priced and a further 15% will be allocated as social housing, positioned within a built environment of mid-rise buildings with a range of market and luxury units featuring spectacular views of the downtown and waterfront.”

Project Features and Factors:

•2,274 units

•27% public space

•9.6 hectares

•5,200 m2 of commerce

•12,000 m2 of office space

•12,000 m2 of park

•$573m total project cost

•36% return on investment

•$144m net present value

Building Uses

External Connections

Green Space

Internal Connections

Parcels

Transportation Master Plan for Gouin-Laurentien Study Area

By: Gabriel Damant-Sirois, Ellen Heshusius, Vincent-Charles Hodder, Ted Horton, Lora Milusheva

McGill University School of Urban Planning

Studio 1

Fall 2012

Introduction

The Borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville is geographically among Montréal’s largest, and it is comprised of distinct and diverse communities. The Gouin-Laurentien sector of Ahuntsic Cartierville is one of these communities, being an area in the northwest of the borough, roughly defined in the north and south by the Rivière-des-Prairies and the AMT rail line, and in the east and west by Boulevard O’Brien and Rue Cousineau. The area lacks an identifiable and memorable moniker, and this is a future branding concern, though within this report the study area will be referred to by its most prominent intersection, the central hub of Gouin-Laurentien.

Mandate and Vision

The mandate of this plan is to produce a master plan for the next thirty years, with a focus on transportation. Home to some 21,000 Montrealers in 2011, the area will grow at a rate of 3.8% over a five-year period according to our projection. By 2040 the population will have risen to 26,000 people in a status-quo scenario. Considering broader trends and the transportation and development goals of the city, we project a population of 33,000 residents in 2040 . This growth will require direction to accommodate the new population within the area, and foresight to respond to the demands it will place upon the transportation network.

Master Plan

In 2040, Gouin-Laurentien will be a livable, welcoming, well-connected community. Residents will enjoy an accessible, attractive, well-served community in which they can meet their daily needs. Priority will be given to sustainable practices, with emphasis on active transportation and improvements to public transit. Simultaneously, policy will be shifted to encourage a denser urban form, a more accessible, walkable neighbourhood, and a reduced reliance on cars as a primary mode of transportation. This plan will be oriented in line with the existing Metropolitan Community of Montreal Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de development, sharing goals of sustainable transportation and seeking to be a leader in the city in shifting modal choice to more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Gouin-Laurentien will offer diverse modes of transportation and a flexible interaction between them. The current situation for public transportation is not a dire one. The area is connected to several bus routes and hosts the dedicated AMT bus lane on Laurentien Boulevard linking Laval commuters with downtown Montreal. Gouin-Laurentien lacks a direct link with the central city, however, as residents must navigate bus links that are frequently at capacity to reach metro lines outside of the area. This leads to a dependency on automobile transport, as the public transportation use in this area lags behind the rest of the City’s Average.