This fall, Saint Laurent will be launching a design option competition for the future Cavendish-Laurin-Liesse Biodiversity Corridor. Part of the Urban Promenades project, the corridor will complement the new Place Rodolphe-Rousseau, next to Côte-Vertu metro, and other public infrastructures to create an interlinked urban oasis for residents.
Before launching the competition, the Saint-Laurent council has put in place some specific objectives for the corridor. It must include ecological connectivity for native plants to grow and local wildlife to breed. Another important goal is to establish a protected monarch butterfly habitat.
On the human scale, the Saint-Laurent corridor aims to encourage active lifestyles, offer access to quality green spaces and provide people with an interconnected area linked with the Borough’s historical, cultural and artistic attractions. Another benefit of the project will be to have it recognized as a great destination for outdoor activities for tourists.
The idea of biodiversity corridors has been put into practice throughout the world, from Yukon to India, and research has shown that corridors improve preservation of animal species and plants while also providing areas for local wildlife and parkland for people.
« It is a one of kind project in Montreal, you’ll only see it in Saint-Laurent, » stated Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa at the September 5th City Council meeting.
Healthy competition comes with price tag
The design competition is a multidisciplinary venture that involves landscape architects and designers, biologists, conservationists, business owners and many others. Interested groups are asked to enter their project plan anonymously and then a jury will select four finalists who will move onto the next stage. Each finalist will be given $24,000 and a professional services contract to flush out their ideas.
In 2018, the finalists will be asked to present their project ideas at a public hearing. Once the top design is chosen, they will be given a mandate to create a master plan for the development. The winner’s professional services contract will be $125,000.
The project is part of the borough’s ongoing action plan to create more public spaces and natural areas for its citizens and visitors. The winning design must provide a healthy environment where outdoor activities are encouraged and the project accomplishes the environmental priorities set out by the city council.