25 Awesome Urban Transformations You Need to See

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Wow: Steam tells me I played the original Cities: Skylines for a total of 800 hours. How many hours did you put into the original game? Check out the sequel with our link here: play.citiesskylines.com/OhTheUrbanity

[@UrbanPanic]

A little over 1,000 Hours. To be fair, a lot of that is "Booting up C:S in case I want to play when I get home" due to having an old computer until a couple weeks ago. So, starting the preload before heading out to work this morning feels natural.

[@Helioscore1]

lol same. 803 hours for me.

[@Efebur]

2011 hours for me LOL I didn't even know

[@IanWard1]

300 hours, rookie numbers I know. But hey, maybe you can nudge Paradox to add some bike infrastructure to C:S 2?

[@fuzzyherbivore193]

2358.2h... 😱

[@hamelconsultancyllc]

What I’m most impressed is that they don’t seem to wait for that final product but have multiple quicker builds that make it better in the interim. I wish my city could think like this

[@F4URGranted]

Yes!! Instead of spending a whole budget on just environmental review and architectural renderings.. this is so awesome to see

[@bartondsmith]

Allows them to collect data to make their case too! The same was done in Times Square in NYC when they turned car lanes into a seating area. It's hard to believe that such a touristed area was ever dominated by cars!

[@UrbanJerseyGuy]

Its crazy how many places that I went to and enjoyed in the city were just updated/made more beautiful in the past 5 years. Amazingly steady progress.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

We even originally compiled about 50 of these in the script, but decided not to try to cram them all into one video!

[@Hannwes]

@@OhTheUrbanity You should make a part 2. I was so happy seeing all these improvements.

[@EvilHeadBoy]

What really stands out to me is how many of these places I've been regularly enjoying over the last few years. I've always felt the changes, but it's easy to take for granted how it is now compared to how they used to be. This video does an amazing job just highlighting that change is really happening and gives a good sense of the pace it can happen with!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

@@Hannwes Probably will!

[@sammexp]

Yet, the mayor of Montreal is getting so much hate from people (people not living in Montreal)

[@xiezicong]

The key thing, "with the right leadership and momentum," is that we are lacking that in many places in North America, but I'm very happy for the progress of Montreal.

[@TakaChan569]

It's not cheap or even feasible to retrofit some places, nevermind the fact you need to take into account population size.

[@noseboop4354]

Montreal is lightning in a bottle. 1- The English-French community wars cramming French factory workers into dense housing while the rich English bosses kept the suburban houses, building up middle housing a lot more than other North American cities. 2- The English-French community wars making many of the most pro-car suburban areas of Montreal demerge and become more independent from the city core, thus less NIMBY politics in the way. 3- The English-French community wars leading to political instability and thus much less attractive to speculative real estate investment. Also makes the average incomes much lower, so less people can afford cars.

[@F4URGranted]

​@@TakaChan569any city with a population above 5000 has the right to rebuild and reutilize its infrastructure. The state of north Carolina sent out a grant this year specifically to rural towns to revitalize their downtowns and make city improvements

[@bluebox2000]

The good news is that city planners also tend to copy the latest trends as bike lanes have become ubiquitous in many places. These new street projects are now proved as very successful, so they will be copied elsewhere.

[@Gleamings]

*sighs and nods in Torontonian*

[@jonathanstensberg]

The dominant theme: iterative improvement. You don’t come in with a grand master plan that gets everything built to a final state all at once. Rather, you take what you have and make it a little better. Then you come back and make it a little better again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Always making little changes to make things a little better when and where you can.

[@Knightmessenger]

Good term

[@Gleamings]

As a Torontonian I am simply amazed by the notion of a city that cares about making itself livable for its locals (:

[@GraemeMacDermid]

Toronto votes for conservative mayors. If they spend money on nice things, even if economically done, they will be seen as wasteful. And then there is the traffic mentality. Car movement is given priority, limiting application of complete streets and vision zero initiatives.

[@sdesrocher]

My employer probably wouldn't be too happy with me identifying them in a comment here, but I work in the urban renewal space. There's progress being made in Toronto, but it tends to be very isolated in scope and geographic footprint. Broader progress seems to me to still be impaired by the former suburbs vs. downtown mentality that still prevails in Toronto. I reached out to my former and current councillors to try and get a temporary pilot of some streetscape improvements to the four lane stroad with two lanes of street parking near my house, and they weren't overly receptive. It doesn't seem to be an issue of left vs. right (in fact I had more traction with a former right-leaning councillor), but one of not wanting to upset people with any changes. Stagnation seems to be the default position in most of this city.

[@Zraknul]

@@MrJoeSomebody They're not elected as part of a party, but in the case of Toronto the connections are obvious. Tory was PC leader for 5 years prior to becoming mayor, and Rob Ford with his now PC Premier Doug were extremely anti-bike lane. In a bright spot going forward, Doug Ford's preference for fellow anti-bike lane crusader in Saunders lost to Olivia Chow who made a point of biking to work on her first day.

[@juselara02]

I think Montreal's European influence has to have something to do here. Toronto is WAY to American for things like that, but I believe those nice things will come someday.

[@poongieshroomie]

The fact that y’all have a stop sign + crosswalk + bike lanes at a WALMART. I’ve literally never seen a big box store\strip malls have stops signs or crosswalks in front of the doors like that ever ! That is the most simple thing that we can’t even get right in America.

[@Game_Hero]

6:14 Merci du fond du cœur pour diffuser ainsi la culture nationale québécoise et la présenter comme telle sous son propre nom, peu de chaînes le font quand la culture québécoise a tellement à offrir au reste du monde. Vous êtes ma chaîne d'urbanisme préférée, c'est pourquoi je viens de m'abonner, vous m'avez convaincu!

[@peterclibbon5685]

Merci infiniment!

[@BulletsToBrainRatio]

Because of your channel I've moved to Montreal and in comparison to everywhere else in Canada it really is a gem!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

That's awesome to hear!

[@Wtfevenisthepointofus]

How was moving there? I'm seriously considering moving from Winnipeg to Montreal. Really can't find any downsides... I'm trying to at least become more familiar with French before moving.

[@ramzanninety-five3639]

@@Wtfevenisthepointofus living without French is easy. Finding a job without it is mission impossible, unless we're talking IT jobs

[@dez7800]

@@WtfevenisthepointofusTake some french classes before or when your get here ! Even if living without french is indeed easy in most of Montreal, Montreal is in Quebec, a french province! You wont truly fit in if you don't at least understand/speak a bit of french. Effort is key, if people see you're trying, they'll be nice to you, but if you come without the goal of integrating and learning french, you probably will have some unpleasant encounters...

[@commentymccommenterson4567]

@@dez7800 I agree with everything being said here. The effort is very much key, people need to see that you are putting in the effort. They don't expect perfection but they really value the effort. Also, it is possible to live in Anglophone pockets of the city, especially in the western part, however it would be an isolated bubble lifestyle without fully experiencing what city in its entirety has to offer. The core cultural aspect of the city living is very much in French. From my observations, local and expat Anglophones that live in Montreal without learning French have city life similar to immigrants that move to other cities in Canada but don't really learn English; Only hanging out within their own ethnic circle and trying to reproduce a lifestyle the place where they originate from while being blocked off and unable to participate within the general society and unable to take advantage of everything it has to offer. All that to say that learning French will pay off exponentially if considering a move to Montreal.

[@CannedFishFiles]

Montreal is doing beautiful work. Here in NYC, some stuff is happening, but there is such intense opposition. To the nimbies, losing a dozen parking spots is an existential crisis. I just can't imagine anyone looking at this footage of Montreal's projects and denying the benefit to the community. Even liberals in this city have a very car-centric view of life. Even my most progressive friends will hate on cyclists; as if car supremacy is part of a program for normalcy. I don't even start with these people, but I wish I could make them understand what a conservative impulse a status quo bias can be. I know Montreal must be very similar in certain ways, but NYC really seems to hate itself. Nobody can get behind a plan that doesn't directly benefit them.

[@JujuForTheWin]

Don't get us wrong... There is intense opposition in Montréal too.

[@nithinravi9600]

Congestion pricing is a good step although nationwide opposition seems…intense

[@Wozza365]

That's especially bizarre for a city as densely populated as New York, but it's the same in London with the recent expansion of low emission zones. People were trying to claim poor people were being forced out of driving. Truth is the poor already weren't driving and were taking buses or trains and the rules only affected a small number of cars, most people were unaffected by the change. Too many people see driving as a right regardless of how many children their big cars squish or how much CO2 they put out, but the perception needs to change to it being a privilege and it also needs to not be a necessity (hint: it's not necessary for most people in London outside of specific jobs and those that are disabled)

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

@CannedFishFiles Sounds exactly like SoCal

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

@@Wozza365I nearly had a stroke when I saw news reports of people rioting in the streets of Miami over Florida no longer recognising foreign driving licences. Ever heard of the metro and Tri-rail/Brightline? Probably not, because public transit wasn't mentioned once. It's all about driving.

[@mdhazeldine]

Very impressive. I love the "do a temporary thing, and then make it permanent later" way of doing it. It allows people to experience something first without having to fight to convince locals it's a good idea, because they can say "it's only temporary", but then I presume the locals mostly like the changes, and then it's easy to get sign-off to make it permanent. More cities should do that.

[@skurinski]

or they just do it anyway and lie to their citizens

[@Yesandsowhut]

It's crazy how livable Montreal is becoming, and how quickly it's happening. Other cities should take inspiration from it. The only concern is that, as livable as Montreal is getting, the rents are skyrocketing. I worry that only a select few will be able to enjoy the city's livability in the future.

[@northamericanvanlines]

the only thing stopping neighbouring cities from doing the same is themselves.

[@jonathanbowers8964]

What helps keep Montreal affordable is the Quebecoise pro-French laws and attitudes. Because knowing French is a prerequisite for full integration in Montreal society, it makes it less attractive for the sort of investors and developments that plague Toronto and Vancouver. Because it is harder to move to Montreal and harder to invest than other Canadian cities, it is a bit sheltered from the Canadian Real-Estate Bubble (that is more overvalued than a bundle of Tulips in 1630s Amsterdam)

[@Yakeru35]

You know what ... I recently started paying attention to the changes occurring in Montreal, but I didn't realize the full scale of these changes before watching that. Although the memes about the massive concentration of orange cones in Montreal are, often, genuinely funny, I suspect that most people making fun of Montreal are actually missing the point (like I was). That vidéo just shifted my perception of the orange cones from "annoyance" to "progress". Thanks !

[@matthewjames6587]

Perfect video to show people that say that this type of city design isn’t possible outside of older European cities. Great work!

[@claudelalonde1732]

1- One thing to not be underestimated for this urban culture: the French influence. Not the old and historic link with France but the actual city planning collaboration between France and Québec. Bordeaux has transformed a neighborhood after the visit of the Mayor of Bordeaux dans le Vieux-Montréal and the riverside of Québec city. Also, Paris and Montréal are developing bike lines at the same time (sharing experiences). 2- Young Architects and urban planners got involved in politics and were elected. That makes a huge difference. Being a montréalais since the 80's, all my adult life, the younger generation of politicians had a great influence about city life.

[@juselara02]

Exactly! The rest of Canada is WAY to American to consider ditching a parking lot or a car lane for a bike Lane.

[@jwaller311]

Almost every Québécois (e) has been at least once to France in their lifetime. The European example has been a big influence in the renaissance of Québec City, and later of Montréal.

[@QuebecFietser]

This video was the final star for me to move to Montreal. I'm now even settled in yet and my life quality increased a lot

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Welcome!

[@sekeidesign]

I live downtown and in the last month or so, I quickly saw protected bike lanes take over an entire car lane on Av Viger and Rue St Antoine and it made me so damn happy. I often cross these streets and Viger especially can be super scary with a load of fast moving cars, having that extra space is incredible and it shocked me to see how quickly and efficiently Montreal is constantly improving their infrastructure. The rest of North America has loads to learn from this city, great video!

[@rspy77]

It’s nice to see other cities going in the right direction. In my city they set up protected bike lanes during the pandemic, but recently removed the bollards and turned it into a shared bike lane citing the need to “improve traffic flow.” As you can imagine, the number of cyclists in the area subsequently decreased and traffic is just as bad as ever.

[@CommentsTroll]

which city is this?

[@rspy77]

@@CommentsTroll It's one of the cities in Metro Manila in the Philippines. It's a small, affluent city with gated communities and large private schools, so you can imagine where the clamour to remove the protected bike lanes came from. For such a dense megacity, Metro Manila is super car centric, hence the horrible traffic everywhere.

[@polthedestroyer]

Your stance on optimism is excellent. Thanks for this! I'm going over it with a fine toothed comb for ideas to rally around for my own city.

[@leopoldleoleo]

This makes me fucking proud of my city. Incredible to look back on what all these space used to look like. Incremental changes add up. Also important to note that this is almost entirely the work of Project Montreal, the current mayor’s party. Politics is important!

[@skurinski]

you're right it is important, and freedom to not get the jab is more than enough to make me not wanna live there

[@5K00O]

Seeing this happening in North America gives me hope

[@davethibault6734]

I've only lived in the city for 10 years, but the changes that have been happening to the city are phenomenal. It's great to live in such a livable city and not have to rely on a car to enjoy it.

[@TheRuralUrbanist]

Hey, I love this low level overview of changes in Montreal! Last time I was there was before the pandemic, as I grew up in New Hampshire and wanted to enjoy the lower drinking age with my friends😁, and am excited to see how it's improved! In urbanism we often focus on the big picture, but I like to see specifics of how improvements were achieved too!

[@wtfareperfectplaces]

Absolutely my favorite video of yours!!! Maybe make another video about how Montreal was able to achieve these goals politically?

[@adambeck8180]

I definitely would love to see such a video!

[@gcason2]

This is my perfect video: before & afters, urbanism, and Montreal. Keep it up, y'all!

[@benibf]

I graduated from McGill University exactly ten years ago and haven't been back since. Montréal was already an amazing city back then, but Jesus Christ. I *REALLY* need to go back and visit now. All these changes, plus the REV, plus the REM, are nothing short of amazing.

[@etiennemorinbordeleau2424]

Wow merci beaucoup sur le partage du projet MR-63 ! Mon frère et moi travaillons sur ce projet depuis maintenant 10ans ! Nous avons très hate à l’ouverture!

[@poongieshroomie]

Could you imagine being a kid here and right outside your house there is an outdoor skating rink 😂 The outdoor gym was amazing as well. Such a good use of space. The fact that it’s all free is crazy, in U.S those dumbbells would be stolen so quick.

[@zeyneptorun1688]

as a Montrealer, we still think that it's not enough ! we want more bikes less cars !! (and more public transit)

[@pauljm4159]

Amazing work! You have done a great list. Also we don't realise just how much courage is needed when trying to have those parking spots removed. You gotta give it to Valerie and her team.

[@QuebecFietser]

this is why i'm moving to montreal soon, my native city of lévis barely bothers with having any bike infra whatsoever. even the police tells people to park in the bike lanes for the famous "2 minutes" and trends to victim blame people who end up in dangerous situation because of the bike lane parking. montreal is actually doing changes to aocmodate bikes and makes traveling within the city much safer and easier

[@noseboop4354]

As-tu considéré St-Roch ou Charlesbourg?

[@marcinanforowicz8319]

Thanks for taking the time to make this great video! I love your calm, friendly, and logical reporting style. With less cars, everything looks more human-friendly! Great response by the mayor of the borough: It is not the city's responsibility to find parking for every car.

[@kursdragon]

This makes my heart so warm and happy to see. Way to go Montreal, you're doing things right

[@bytesandbikes]

Really heartening to see this progress.

[@liamtahaney713]

Best city in north America. Love it

[@paikiwika]

I like how you showed and explained about the transformations at each stage, nice work! I think it would be a good idea to make another video on changes in pedestrian and bicycle usage in each of these places, as well as how the changes affected automobile traffic flow and parking availability in adjacent areas. I mean, the cars that used to use these streets and park there need to go somewhere, right?

[@pykepyke_]

I live in Ottawa but come to Montreal as often as possible and you've highlighted many of the reasons why. These changes make wandering around the city a constant joy. Spaces feel to human scale, safe and filled with life and colour. I wish our city had the same passion for change and cared as much about people's lived experiences. Not only do the changes benefit people who live in Montreal, I really do feel they draw me and others to visit as well. Thanks for sharing all of these changes

[@CasualCommuter_]

Love seeing the progress done over time for some of these projects! It’s so important to remember that the good infrastructure we almost take for granted might have started out as a pilot project!

[@LiliGodin]

And on top of that, Montrealers are infinitely kind. "I know, I've been living there for 60 years."

[@marcbecker1431]

I am so jealous of your bike lines being so nicely designed to avoid dooring.

[@MultigrainKevinOs]

Holy smokes Montreal is really doing amazing work! Those projects are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@jefftee7354]

I LOVE this video because it gives me hope. It's so easy to not see the progress of things when you look at a snapshot in time. Montreal is making some great strides!

[@lite1979]

I was just in Montreal two weeks ago. I can't recommend it enough. French Canada is awesome.

[@jokubas3391]

incredible to see these changes. Montreal is on a great momentum

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Really great video on how turning stroads, roads, and parking. Into friendly pedestrian ways. Only Edmonton can only dream of this

[@dominiccasts]

I feel the same way about the Greater Vancouver area. Hell, even Vancouver proper. Outside of a few streets on the western side of downtown, and a few streets in downtown that are basically just outdoor shopping malls, it's hard to see anything truly pedestrian-friendly like this. Best case is moderately wide sidewalks and a few bike corridors.

[@GFmanaic]

I remember the plateau before the gas station closed, it was very different. L'esplanade tranquille also, holy did they do a good job

[@pjk9225]

I love these examples of real world improvements. We've got some holdouts on our city council who cant understand why we need to change things, let alone how to get there. But having an easy before -> after of small improvements really helps me show regular people what can be done and how to get there. Jokes on them though, since a lot of the local ordinances theyre shooting down are getting rammed through by the state. One NIMBY at the last meeting even said "while i dont want this development built, i think we have to realize that the developer only wanted to build a few spots and we said no, then he went to the state and now theyre gunna build a huge building. We sorta shot ourselves in the foot here and people have to realize that" Of course, the "monstrosity" they were talking about was.... 4 sets of 3 townhouses... but things are changing for the better!

[@asswipe-fl7hq]

If people decide to destroy the shitty rotting house I live in to build a townhouse it serves me right for not being financially able to make it better and less tear-down-able looking I deserve homelessness

[@SumRndmPenguin]

5:32 As an american it's so weird to see a walmart without a desert of a parking lot in front of it.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

It's not really the norm here either, but it was cool to see

[@PatrickLepage-s9p]

I think the city recently passed a rule mandating minimum 40% canopy coverage when trees are mature. I hope this parking becomes the new norm.

[@ddogg14]

It's like watching the transformation of Amsterdam unfold. All of North America needs to study and apply these examples

[@katiebrown5185]

It would be awesome to see similar videos covering improvements that have been made in other Canadian cities like Vancouver or Halifax

[@OhTheUrbanity]

We’d love to see other people do similar videos on other cities. It probably wouldn’t work for us to do them because we want to visit and get footage from most of them before featuring (also, it’s a lot easier to find them in your own city).

[@miles8718]

I love how many creative uses Montreal has for all of its space! I absolutely love the idea of a place for kids to learn to ride bikes and of the mini outdoor gym.

[@_autoverse]

So refreshing to see streets and public spaces being reclaimed for people rather than the storage of automobiles.

[@syl.o.o]

Merci pour cette belle présentation des améliorations à Montréal et pour votre enthousiasme ! Bravo pour le sponsor avec Cities skylines ça correspond bien avec votre sujet et votre public!

[@stephensmith1509]

"or 3 if you count the sidewalk like this van did" you guys are priceless

[@definitelynotacrab7651]

Its incredible to see the transformation of this city. Truly the greatest north American city, and a model so many others should follow!

[@dennisguye2688]

Montreal makes me so hopeful for my own city.

[@lstahling]

Thanks!

[@franciscosottolichio]

I’ve lived in Montreal all my life, and use my bike for almost everything. But I have to say, seeing all these projects all at once, it kinda makes me realize how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful bike-friendly city. And yeah, you should move here! It’s awesome!

[@ob0273]

I am extremely jealous. And I am from Europe!! I am serioulsy speechless and I watched the whole video with my mouth open... This is unbelievable and I think this can change Jason's opinion on US future.

[@TheTroyc1982]

What does Montreal have to do with the US?

[@Littleweenaman]

City skylines sponsorship is dope dope lmao

[@Taara535]

This is such a fantastic video that should be sent to mayors and city planners around North America. Tons of spaces where cars were removed within only 10 years. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to do this everywhere.

[@soymilkman]

this video gives me so much hope because all of the before pictures look Exactly like my city right now. too bad the politics of my city council sucks lol

[@spencer8218]

Your city council sucks? Not to brag, but my city council was named the least transparent city in all of Canada! We also look like the before pictures, and we are STILL building wildly over budget car infrastructure!

[@gstrdms]

In Montreal, the more "east" or "west" you go, the more you'll encounter resistance for these types of urbanization projects. Lots of people are stuck in their suburban mentality still. I love that they finally did something about all those "roads" and parking spots that dissected Laf park.

[@andersonrusnell3102]

Thanks for showing something that isn’t Europe.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

I think such a comment is best reserved for NJB

[@TheoDaJunk]

​​@@crowmob-yo6ryyeah bro tells us to give up on America half the time 😂

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

@@TheoDaJunk exactly why I'm no longer a fan.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

@@TheoDaJunk exactly why I'm not a NJB fan.

[@electrosyzygy]

Essential videos! We all too easily forget what the city looked like just a few short years ago and need to realize what the city would be like with another business as usual city administration. The longer the Plante admin stays in power, the better. Could I suggest you more of these kinds of videos when changes warrant them and put them in a playlist? It could also be a useful tool to convince people, as well as remember to appreciate the progress made!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

kzbin.info/aero/PLN3OhfIDlvuN2b8iJ8NYUK7n6MrKCYIUF

[@herschelwright4663]

I’m impressed with what Montreal is doing. I wish my city would have the option to do the same thing.

[@alexseguin5245]

It's nice to recognize so many places in your videos! Didn't know most of them even just 3 years ago, and I've lived in a nearby city all my life. I go by Terrasse Roy on most week days when I work at the office. I'll often stop there to either eat lunch or drink some water from the fountain and sit beneath a tree for a couple minutes if it's a nice day out. Great use of space. Not only is it very welcoming, but it also creates a kind of super block in that area. Since the street doesn't allow through traffic, you only get a few residents who use their vehicles, which calms the street down. I also started noticing a whole lot more of these modal filters in several places in the city. It really is starting to feel like you can go off the big paths like the REV and still have good, safe streets wherever you go in a vast portion of the city.

[@rotary65]

It's wonderful to see the progression and creativity of urbanist projects in Montreal. Lots of great examples to learn from. I must make a trip there soon.

[@papaya8634]

I would love to see more of such videos about positive changes that actually happened/are happening 🥰

[@TheWolfXCIX]

This is a fantastic video, geeat inspiration for us all

[@StartCodonUST]

Wow, I remember exploring Google Maps about a decade ago and being a little underwhelmed when looking at Montreal's bike infrastructure, but it seems like Montreal is now among the best and fastest-improving bike cities in North America, especially among the larger cities. It seems particularly impressive just how many new pedestrianized plazas there are. It feels like the former leaders in bike infrastructure like Portland and Minneapolis have stagnated even when just cycling infrastructure is considered. I'm not aware of anything like the rapid conversion of road/parking lanes into permanent plazas/gardens/businesses on the scale and ambition of Montreal after the covid blip of pedestrianization, especially not in Minnesota. The big urban renewal project here is turning a huge lot with a vacant K-mart that formerly disconnected Nicollet Avenue (restaurant/shopping street) into a . . . street with some shops and a park. Like, we have a street that was already disconnected, and all of the city's design proposals involve reconnecting the street, and only one of those have a modal filter, and even that one still allows transit rather than keeping space dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists (wonder how many private/commercial vehicles would just use the street anyway).

[@adamknott7830]

This was great to see. So many smaller street scale changes that when out together make a big difference

[@Abhishek0S]

I don’t usually comment, but this is a brilliant video! Thank you so much for making this. I would love to see other urbanism content creators make similar videos for the cities they live in. Seeing progress in the US and Canada is awesome!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Thank you! We'd love to see similar style videos from other cities too.

[@CapitulationTrader]

Solid work. Thanks!

[@ericniedzielski5259]

This video reminds me of the Gwanghwamun square in Seoul South Korea! It’s an amazing pedestrian plaza with a park/greenway nearby and I visited it multiple time and have such great memories of it. Later when I got back in the US, I saw a pic on Instagram of it, but it looked different with roads 6-7 lanes of roads on both side. Turns out the plaza has only been like it has for a bit more than a year, but no one cares now that 6 car lanes were removed and that I will always remember it as the new improved version that it is today

[@vincentbeaulieu5225]

As someone who has lived in Montréal all my life and use quite a lot of the place you just talked about, I cannot understate how much they are awesome I remember taking 23. Parvis de Biencourt everyday to go to the elementary school behind the church and good damn are kid today lucky to have this much more beautiful and safe place to walk in There's still a lot of work to do to make Montréal better but seeing all those small thing gives me hope

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

it feels so good to see positive changes occur. small, incremental changes are so important and impactful. the shift from a parking lot to an area where children can play and ride bikes seems small but is actually a huge change in quality of life for children. it provides an opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills and just be a kid. what was once a desolate, un-utilized parking lot is now an area for life. it makes me so happy and optimistic to see what montreal has accomplished.

[@alexandreprovost9869]

Merci!

[@barryrobbins7694]

It is always good when cities prioritize people over cars. Kudos Montreal!👍

[@ryanhawkinsyyc]

Wow! Some amazing actionable improvements for the city of Montreal! I can see why you both love the city so much! My only add to some of these places would be raised crosswalks. I think cities should take every opportunity to slow down traffic as much as possible!

[@julians.2597]

and raised intersections in general

[@yhoooffhrndjffj4391]

This is probably my favorite video of yours. So awesome. I loved montreal when i lived there

[@RealConstructor]

This is how a city in transition to a more livable city should look like. Good for Montreal. I see more glimmers of hope on YT, but this is citywide and with political support against the car lobby. It’s a first that I see a politician without a rubber spine, but a politician who keeps standing firm against the car lobby. This is a win-win. A win for pedestrians, cyclists, environment, and a win against the car lobby. At the same time a better city to visit and a better city to live in.

[@miles8718]

It's so impressive seeing how much positive change Montreal making. In NYC, each change is met with small but strong opposition from drivers. Even more impressive to me is seeing how all of the changes in Montreal start out as temporary and then become permanent. In NYC, while we have quite a few "bike lanes" and other improvements, they all seem to remain what you classify as "temporary" changes forever, never moving on to being physically permanent.

[@filiptomic8531]

wow! its great to see how montreal goes from a temporary space, to permanent infrastructure. It allows city designers to learn from the temporary space and fix issues before making it permanent. i feel like this is something that Toronto greatly struggles in. We have some progress, but its mostly just paint and temporary structures. It seems rare that that things get improved from mediocre temporary structures, to much improved permanent spaces.

[@curtismah1261]

Looks like we need a part 2 for this video, and I was waiting for ave de Pins. Hopefully I can ride it soon ! Great vid

[@djgraze9273]

The fact that there are people that had the vision to transform these spaces so dramatically and make it work so well is mind-blowing to me. I come from a car-centric north american city where change is being made but super slowly. I think small projects like infilling a parking lot, (of which we have a lot of downtown) are extremely important for keeping people motivated that the city can change, especially when a lot of these urban transportation plans have goals like 2050. Our city has been like this for so long I doubt many people can even imagine that it can be any different, and places like montreal give hope that things can be different if there is the will for it to be so.

[@888ettio]

Have you ever considered getting involved in municipal politics? You obviously love Montreal, and you seem to have a great vision and understanding for the city. Regardless, thanks for putting our city under the spotlight!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Never say never, but Montreal is already on a pretty good trajectory. We think of our role more as presenting Montreal's successes as a model or inspiration for other places in North America.

[@JonathanCLacy]

Very thankful for the positive aspects of things that are happening!! Makes me hopefully more will happen

[@martyk4096]

This is so exciting!

[@nolifenerdwhohasnevergotten]

About a year ago I was in Montreal sitting at a park and I thought to myself "Wow, what an nice little urban space, locals really seem to use it as a gathering place." and now it's in the thumbnail for this video.

[@TylerProvick]

This is amazing. I think this is really important to show people what can be done. I can't imagine anyone looking at those new areas and not thinking they looked nice and inviting. Wish we could get this in Ottawa.

[@fuzzykiller]

What I’m most impressed with is the willingness of the city leaders to actually make those changes. Where I am, barely anything happens proactively, if at all.

[@PokerStaples]

We are doing great. Great video guys and congrats to paradox for getting a spot on your channel :) I will be playing some cities 2 for sure

[@anynonomous000001]

I went to so many places on this list this summer. It is really pleasant to find out how recent and rapid these changes have been. it gives me a lot of hope for Victoria bc which is set to make a number of similar changes

[@alexh2065]

Great video as always, these kind of small(ish) changes that takes away space for cars and turn it into place for people are so great. But I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention the Place Andrée Lachapelle beside secondary school Robert Gravel in the Mile-End. Every time I walk pass this place I'm amazed thinking about how it used to be and now seeing people using that space. Also, 2 other ongoing projects I'm excited for are the Duluth Av, in the parc Jeane-Mance being pedestrianized and the Carré Auger in Rosemont.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

This wasn't an exhaustive list, we have dozens more saved up for future videos. But two of those, Duluth and Andrée Lachapelle, were mentioned in a previous video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4nVfaVsgsqssKM

[@janvanhoyk8375]

Its urban renewal, but the second generation: Actually making cities better instead of destroying them!

[@MichaelBrown-be7vn]

Wonderful city with astounding vision and planning....

[@joeyweeda3773]

I am excited for the people of this city for that they got so many New little Parks and saver streets!

[@KannikCat]

Magnifique! Wow... Montreal is becoming more and more tempting by the day. And that MR-63 project, reusing the old Metro trains, I've got to check that out. Merci for the video!

[@MonsieurRaki]

The changes look amazing! The streets look so much more inviting with all that greenery and space to cycle/walk. I want that outside gym, looks so cool! I do think the city planners should think of car parking, as people are still reliant on their cars in the US and Canada. Amsterdam is removing 10K parking spots in the city so people get more space in the streets (and children get more space to play outside), but they also built an underground parking garage so residents can park their car. Usually residents get a special pas they can leave in their car, to "prove" they are a resident and need a parking space. Cities also build transferiums, car garages at the edge of the city, so people from outside the city can park there and then use transit to get into the city center. Even with good bicycle infrastructure and transit, people still need or want to drive and residents still need to park their car somewhere. You want to get everyone on board with this and not get people angry. Some people need to haul groceries into their homes or they have a handicap and can't walk far, so you can't just say 'screw you and your car'. The goal (at least for now) should be more trips on bicyles and less with cars, not that everyone has to give up their car. In the Netherlands 30% of trips are still done by car (mostly commuting to work and sometimes to get a big grocery haul for the family) and there's still a high percentage of car ownership. In the future it would be nice if car sharing would be the standard.