Nov

Green Grow the Alleys, O!

by Joyce McGreevy on November 11, 2019

A ruelle verte, or green alley, in Montréal, Canada reflects creative problem-solving that helps the planet. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

THIS is a public alley? In Montréal, a ruelle verte (“green alley”) basks in autumn’s glow.
© Joyce McGreevy

Creative Problem-Solving, One Alley at a Time

What does the word alley bring to mind? Most likely someplace gray and utilitarian, a narrow passageway behind buildings. Perhaps it evokes unpleasantness, even menace, as in something “you wouldn’t want to encounter in a dark alley.”

But what if alleys reflected creative problem-solving? In a growing number of cities, they do. Presenting the “green alley,” an urban oasis created from what was once a concrete desert.

The seeds of this eco-friendly concept were sown in Montréal, where green alleys are known as ruelles vertes.

Two ruelles vertes in Montréal, Canada show how creative problem-solving helps transforms desolate alleys into urban oases. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Over 80% of Montréal residents surveyed have said “Oui!” to the Ruelle Verte project.
© Joyce McGreevy

From No-Go to Where Flowers Grow

How did gray alleys first go green? The road from urban crisis to urban oasis was long, winding, and pot-holed with missteps.

In the 1840s, Montréal’s first alleyways emerged as farmlands were subdivided into small properties. By the 1960s, 300 miles of asphalt alley snaked along the margins of the densely massed buildings. As in most cities, Montréal’s alleys were dreary corridors by day and desolate no-go zones by night.

An urban alley cluttered with trash cans and utilities is a far cry from the green alleys and show the need for creative problem-solving. (Image © Alex Borland)

This is what most of us picture when we hear the word alley.
© Alex Borland [License: CC0 Public Domain]

A Road Paved with Good Intentions

In 1968, five Canadian architecture students with utopian visions set off for an alley in an impoverished Montréal neighborhood. They would install a flowerbed! Paint the walls! Inspire residents to sustain the makeover!

Alas, like the proverbial road paved with good intentions, the results were less than heavenly.

A 1969 documentary film, Les fleurs c’est pour Rosemont, captures the social and class tensions between privileged outsiders who meant well and hardworking locals who were focused on meeting primary needs, not adding primary colors.

Without grassroots engagement, the goal of green alleys had hit a dead end.

Or had it?

Autumn leaves covering a city street humorously suggest that nature’s presence is a reminder to apply creative problem-solving to urban spaces. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In Montréal, nature has a way of making its presence known . . .
© Joyce McGreevy

A Grassroots Response

With every showing, Jacques Giraldeau’s documentary raised the topic anew, prompting lively discussion and engaging diverse perspectives.

Over time, this inspired a more considered approach at a grassroots level. Residents of the same block began talking things over. Who knew better than they the problems and potential of their alleys?

A group of people carrying flowering plants to a city street evokes our need to apply creative problem-solving to urban spaces. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As neighbors met, ideas began to flower.
© Joyce McGreevy

Together, they came up with proposals and secured the support of city officials. Together, they pooled their resources to turn creative thinking into practical magic.

In 1995, Montréal’s first official ruelle verte opened.

Today, Montréal has 350 green alleys—urban oases where children play, neighbors gather, and visitors find inspiration.

And just as the wind scatters seeds to create new growth, the Montréal model spread to cities around the world.

A collage of plants from a ruelle verte in Montréal, Canada shows how creative problem-solving through green alleys supports wildlife and biodiversity. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Green alleys bring biodiversity into tight urban spaces.
© Joyce McGreevy

More than a Pretty Space

The reasons to revitalize urban alleys go way beyond “outdoor décor.” Green alleys replace asphalt with permeable paving and organic materials. So along with beautification, green alleys make city life better by

reducing the “heat island” effect
allowing storm water to filter back into the ground
improving air quality
increasing plant biodiversity
providing habitat for birds and insects
reinvigorating pedestrian activity
encouraging bicycling
reducing traffic
providing places for children to play
fostering increased sociability
supporting urban agriculture, one of the factors in erasing “food deserts,” areas where it is difficult to buy affordable, fresh food
improving a city’s global livability rating

A collage of children’s toys and invitations to come play, seen on a ruelle verte in Montréal, Canada show how creative problem-solving through green alleys improves children's quality of life. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Hand-painted signs in a ruelle verte invite neighborhood kids to come and play.
© Joyce McGreevy

Green Alley, U.S.A.

In the United States, Michigan is home to one of the most remarkable green-alley transformations. Detroit’s Green Alley, created in 2008-2010 as the city was emerging from bankruptcy, turned a desolate “stretch of pavement, dumpsters, and dreams that had long since broken down” into an oasis that brings together people, nature, and the arts.

Several other cities are following suit—among them Chicago, Los Angeles, Omaha, Austin, and Nashville. You can see a Los Angeles neighborhood “green team” in action here.

Colorful laundry in a ruelle verte, or green alley, in Montréal, Canada reflects creative problem-solving that makes everyday life better. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The goal of green alleys is not to gentrify, but to make life better citywide.
© Joyce McGreevy

Seeds of Possibility

Given the vastness of public lands and waterways, how important is it to make better use of alleys? By 2050, 75 percent of the world’s population will be living in cities.

How much of an impact could green alleys make? Consider that Chicago alone has 1,900 miles of alleyway to work with. Now factor in that nearly every city in the world (with notable exceptions) is crisscrossed with alleyways.

Yes, cities still need somewhere to put out the garbage. More to the point, say urban environmentalists, we need to reduce waste itself. This has become another focus of creative problem-solving.

According to Daniel Toole, author of Tight Urbanism, Alley Architecture in the U.S., Australia, and Japan, “As waste collection becomes more effective . . . [alleys] present a ridiculous amount of space to be used simply for waste conveyance.”

Oh, I see: For Earth’s sake, even an alley is too precious to waste.

An old metal tub used as a planter and a wall of painted bricks on a ruelle verte in Montréal, Canada show how creative problem-solving through green alleys promotes recycling. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Found objects & recycled resources dress up an alley.
© Joyce McGreevy

Is there a “green alley” near you? Have you seen green alleys in your travels? Have you and your neighbors ever worked together to transform a common outdoor area into a greener, more inviting public space? If so, please share your experiences with our readers!

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Canada/Clever Ideas/Making a Difference/Nature Discovery

Jul

Summer Like a Local

by Joyce McGreevy on July 8, 2019

Public street art on Rue St-Famille, Montréal reflects the everyday pleasure of exploring the urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Wandering leads to discovery in Montréal. Murals enliven every neighborhood.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Widespread Pleasures of Montréal’s Urban Culture

No wonder jazz is a top attraction for visitors to Montréal. The largest city in eastern Canada doesn’t just reflect urban culture, it riffs on it, reinterpreting it in endless variations.

Since visiting Montréal as a child, I’ve returned numerous times, always encountering new layers to its creative nature.

Most first-time visitors stay within a compact area around the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where cobblestone streets and picturesque buildings date to the 17th century. Charming though it is, visiting in peak season can give the impression that all 10 million annual visitors have shown up at once.

That’s why I encourage you to explore beyond the core. Oh, I see: Montréal’s summertime pleasures are generously sprinkled all over the city.

A zip line and Ferris wheel in Montréal suggest that slowing down and broadening your focus are additional ways to explore the urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Sure, zip around the Old Port, but broaden your circle, too.
© Joyce McGreevy

Here are five ways to celebrate Montréal’s urban culture. Eco-friendly, art-loving, and community-minded, they’ll make you feel right at home.

1. Do your reading in the park.

In many cities, cooling off on a summer’s day means cranking up the A/C. Montréalers keep cool by heading to the nearest green space. With 19 major parks and over 1,300 green squares, you won’t need a map to find one.

A park in Montréal reflects the everyday pleasure of exploring the urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Montréal is on track to increase its canopy cover to 25% by 2025.
© Joyce McGreevy

Montréalers’ love of green spaces was formalized in 1874 when Mount Royal became the first protected area in Québec. The design gig for Parc Mont-Royal went to Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed the grounds of New York’s Central Park.

Now Montréal’s green space is on the verge of another growth spurt. Over the next three years, the city will build its largest park yet—four times the size of Parc Mont-Royal—on the urban island’s western tip.

A woman walking and a corner grocery reflect the everyday pleasures of exploring Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

To shop like a local, buy only what you can carry, cook, and picnic on over 1-2 days.
© Joyce McGreevy

2. Hop to the shop, car-free.

With a dépanneur on virtually every block, shopping for food on foot is easy. Come spring, Montréal’s oldest public markets take off their “winter coats.” Down come the walls that shelter shoppers from 82 inches of annual snowfall.

The Marché Jean-Talon suggests the everyday pleasure of shopping for Québécois products and exploring Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Which market should you choose, Marché Jean-Talon or Atwater Market? Both—and don’t overlook Marché Maisonneuve:

Atwater Market: The tall clock tower makes it a cinch for newcomers to find, and you can work off that maple sugar pie with a run along the Lachine Canal.
Marché Maisonneuve: Test your French fluency, marvel at the 1910 Beaux-Arts building that started it all, and test-ride a self-driving shuttle to Montréal’s Olympic Stadium.
Marché Jean-Talon: Explore the neighborhood known locally as Petite-Italie.

An Italian café in Petite-Italie reflects the everyday pleasure of exploring Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Don’t make a list. Just wander among artful displays of Québécois produce, charcuterie, wheels of cheese, fresh oysters from the Bay of Gaspé, handmade ices, fresh flowers, herbs, and more.

3. Meet the neighbors.

Whatever your language, it’s easy to meet the neighbors in Montréal. I’ve enjoyed conversations in cafés, bookstores, the Segal Center Theatre, a local swimming pool, and while sitting on the curb of Rue St-Denis waiting for a parade to begin.

Even a short stroll can lead to memorable meet-and-greets. Last Saturday I went out for a newspaper. Two blocks later, I was dancing at a neighborhood barbecue. As for Sunday, I’m unlikely to forget meeting Antoine:

Circus artist Antoine Carabinier shows his sense of humor, another reminder of the fun of exploring Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Better known for balancing on the Russian bar in his family’s Cirque Alfonse,
Antoine Carabinier makes a genial barmaid at a Montréal street festival.
© Joyce McGreevy

4. Join the circus.

Every year, visitors flock to Montréal’s Jazz Festival, Cirque du Soleil, the “Just for Laughs” Comedy Festival, and other hot-ticket events.

No ticket? No worries.

Montréal’s creativity spills onto neighborhood streets, spreads across parks, and splashes across walls. Every summer, the roving Repercussion Theatre makes Shakespeare-in-the-Park accessible to all. Murals have a festival of their own. Meanwhile, Montréal Complètement Cirque scatters magic all around the city.

A circus artist performs for an audience on the Rue Maisonneuve, embodying the festive side of Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

5. Debate a local hot topic.

Montréalers have strong opinions about which is better, Fairmount Bagel or St-Viateur Bagel. Thus, it behooves you to “research” both.

But don’t just grab and gobble. Savor the “hole” truth with a lesson from local baker Will Paquet. As my Toronto classmates agree, his bagel-baking class is enriched by culinary science, seeded with local tips, and leavened with humor.

Bagel baker Will Paquet describes an everyday culinary pleasure of Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As Paquet guides us through the steps, we learn what makes Montréal bagels distinctive. Smaller and thinner than NY bagels, and with a faster transition between proofing and kneading, they are hand-rolled and poached in honey-water. Unlike NY bagels, they’re also flipped halfway through the baking.

Traditionally, Montréal bagels were baked in a wood-fired oven, but the city is phasing this out for environmental reasons. Even so, under Paquet’s tutelage the results are thrilling—a toothsome crunch followed by soul-transporting, soft-as-a-cloud sweetness.

Bagels in various stage of preparation evoke an everyday culinary pleasure of Montréal’s urban culture. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

To buy bagels like a local, says Paquet, order “Sesame, still warm,” consume your bagel within 30 minutes, and don’t bury it under a mound of sandwich fillers. In Montréal, the bagel itself is the star, not the stage.

Extend your urban boundaries

This 377-year old city embraces over two dozen neighborhoods, each with its own personality, flavors, and festivities. Factor in Canadian friendliness, convenient public transport, and a summer sun that stays up late, and you’ve got the perfect excuse to get neighborly with Montréal’s urban culture.

Learn more about Will Paquet’s bagel-making classes here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.