Airlie-Lafleur Sector Positioning

Given the enthusiasm of developers and property owners regarding the study area, there was a lack of a unifying vision and defining economic positioning to guide real estate development projects and attract businesses to the Airlie-Lafleur sector.

The City of Montreal mandated BC2 to conduct a study on the economic positioning of this industrial sector, one of the oldest in the LaSalle borough. The study is part of a framework of reflection common to several North American cities, concerning the redefinition of the vocation of industrial zones located in urban areas and the cohabitation of a variety of urban functions. These changes are also relevant to the quality of living environments and the maintenance of employment in the City.

The findings and recommendations of the study have enabled the LaSalle borough and the City of Montreal’s economic development department to define a vision for the Airlie-Lafleur sector and the planning orientations to support it.

The approach proposed by the BC2 team was divided into three steps. The first step was to put the study in the context of Montreal’s economic and land-use planning, documented the sector’s main economic parameters, the characteristics of its economic environment and market trends. The second step allowed for reflection on the economic transition of the territory within the scope of maintenance of employment in the city and cohabitation of different urban functions strategies, the development of circular economy initiatives, adaptive reuse, and the temporary and transitory occupation of space. Finally, the last step was to develop a vision for the economic (re)development and positioning of the Airlie-Lafleur area.

Data sheet

Client

Ville de Montréal

Location

Arrondissement de LaSalle

Year of execution

2022