The Montréal 2030 Agenda for Quality and Exemplarity in Design and Architecture: a new way of seeing and doing things

Montréal commits to enhancing the quality of its built and living environments by engaging practitioners from all design and architecture disciplines

Architecture and design affect us all, though we may not always be aware of them. These disciplines have an impact on the health of people and our planet, and can also help protect and enhance it.

Whether it’s a great building, a perfectly-laid-out public space, or high-quality street furniture or infrastructure, good design helps create environments that can have a positive influence on the people who visit, work, or lead their lives there.

To encourage enforcement of stricter standards, the city has therefore adopted the Montréal 2030 Agenda for Quality and Exemplarity in Design and Architecture.

The result of an enormous amount of work conducted in close collaboration with the design community and professionals employed by the City of Montréal, the Agenda is an invitation to rethink practices and respect the fundamental principles that from now on must guide any project that the city plans to undertake and authorize on its territory. It lays out a common frame of reference for ensuring quality and sustainability in design and architecture.

As a call to engagement, it requires the participation of all stakeholders and experts in our creative ecosystem, along with all of the city’s central departments and the boroughs. Its fundamental principles can also serve to inspire Montrealers themselves.
The Agenda is an impetus for mobilization that will guide the City of Montréal in our green transition, serve as an example to other cities around the world, and ensure improved quality of life for our citizens and for future generations.

Happy reading!

For more information about the Agenda project, the consultations and the Q&A, please visit › realisonsmtl.ca/qualite (French only)

The following photo album chronicles the event at Montreal’s city hall on December 16, 2019, on the occasion of the city council session at which the Montréal 2030 Agenda was adopted. Elected officials, members of the working group, representatives of professional associations in design and architecture were invited to sign the document, symbolizing their commitment to sustainability, creativity, and innovation in design and architecture. ›