Creating a winter city

By Jérémie Vachon, Intern in urban planning at L’Atelier Urbain

Dead season, low season… So many unglamorous adjectives to depict a season that is nonetheless part of our identity. In 2012, a documentary entitled ” Life Below Zero “, produced by Barbara Donan and Josh Freed and broadcast by CBC, made an unsurprising observation: many Canadians, despite their reputation as warriors who have tamed the rigors of an almost perpetual winter, hate the cold season. Whether we’re talking about Montrealers or ” snowbirds ” who willingly swap the -20°C here for the +20°C offered by Florida in January, we have to find a way to ” escape ” or even ” forget ” the nordicity that characterizes us. In the CBC documentary, one speaker puts it bluntly : ” Deep down in our hearts, we’d rather not be a winter people. ”

What if the disciplines of urban planning and urban design could come to the rescue and help rekindle our love of winter?

This season undoubtedly poses a number of major constraints in terms of urban design. To be economically competitive, our cities have to operate all year round. People and goods have to be mobile, and we can’t afford to take a week off every time a snowstorm arrives. Instead, the machines quickly clear the way for vehicles and pedestrians (and cyclists!). In some Montreal boroughs, they hardly try to catch snowflakes in flight to prevent them from reaching the ground[1]. And that’s not counting the inconvenience that a major ice storm can cause in the middle of winter!

Taking inspiration from elsewhere

However, many cities in the northern world, in Russia, Sweden and elsewhere, compete in creativity and ingenuity to brighten up winter for their citizens, and they succeed!

In Winnipeg, a former industrial area, The Forks, was reclaimed and now features a public market and ice skate rental kiosk inside. Outside, a splendid skating rink has been laid out right on the Assiniboine and Rouge rivers, punctuated here and there by tables, benches and little stops to warm up and showcase some of the traditions of the First Nations people who populate the area. On weekends, there’s outdoor entertainment with music or temporary furniture fashioned from ice and snow.

In some Scandinavian cities, zoning and architecture are used to make winter more interesting. Indeed, building heights in Luleå, Sweden, are limited to four storeys to reduce the effect of wind corridors and allow more sunshine into the streets. In some areas, only light colors such as orange or yellow are permitted for building facades. In this way, the built environment adds color and reflects light more effectively. Wind studies are carried out on a regular basis, and trees are planted to break up wind corridors. Downtown sidewalks are heated to melt snow, as studies have shown that this saves money compared to traditional snow removal and reduces the number of falls and injuries due to ice. On many street corners, there are “hot spots” where you can warm your hands with the warmth of a fireplace.

What about us?

These few examples illustrate just one thing: winter is not inevitable. It can (and should!) be an attractive season, as long as we know how to make the most of the pleasures it has to offer. In Quebec, there are more and more winter festivals for young and old. The Carnaval de Québec, the Festival Montréal en Lumière, Igloofest and the Fête des neiges de Montréal are just a few examples from the capital and metropolis, with numerous initiatives in smaller towns. Discussions are underway between the City of Montreal and Parks Canada to open the Lachine Canal to the public for winter activities such as ice skating and cross-country skiing. Many Quebec municipalities are located on the banks of a waterway  there is certainly recreational potential to be exploited here. In terms of programming and events, there’s already a long way to go.

We need to innovate more in terms of urban design, seeing winter as an opportunity rather than a constraint. When will we see major skating or cross-country skiing corridors that can be used as much for recreation as for getting around town? Since the Route verte du Québec was largely built on former railroad rights-of-way, there is probably untapped winter potential in many urban areas. Wouldn’t it also be a good idea to rethink the machinery used for clearing roads in relation to potential developments, rather than the other way around? As far as trees are concerned, we know that conifers don’t tolerate life on sidewalks very well because of de-icing salts. Yet these trees offer very interesting wintertime aesthetic potential. On Montreal’s Duluth Street, conifers have been planted in pots, and seem to do just fine. And they’re so beautiful in winter! All you need to do is choose ornamental varieties that are resistant to disease and mechanical shock.

Urban planning and urban design are disciplines that need to imagine space not as a static place, but as a dynamic one. This presupposes that it is thoughtful and user-friendly day and night, summer AND winter. There is an infinite potential for public space to be developed and brought to life, so that the winter city once again becomes a place where people like to live, rather than a place they wish to flee.

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^[1]Snow removal from non-arterial streets is a responsibility assumed by the boroughs in Montreal, and the accumulation thresholds justifying intervention vary from one borough to another. In some boroughs, as soon as 5 cm of snow accumulates on the ground, clearing and loading operations begin. In others, the threshold is set at 10 or 15 centimetres.

Photo :

http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/8937349/img/8937349.jpg

Sources :

Champagne, S. 2014. Montreal relaunches its Rideau Canal dream. La Presse. [Online]

URL: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montreal/201412/26/01-4830996-montreal-relance-son-reve-de-canal-rideau.php

Documentary ” Life Below Zero “: http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episodes/life-below-zero