A pilot project in the town of Sutton, Quebec is exploring ways to address the housing shortage while incorporating sustainable development practices. The goal is to create a land use planning tool that can be adapted to the needs of communities across the province.
The groundbreaking project is led by Alexandre Landry, visiting professor at the School of Architecture at Université de Montréal and director of L'Ensemble, a non-profit whose mission is to harness innovations in urban architecture to create affordable housing in communities outside major cities.
It is supported by Quebec's Ministry of Economy and Innovation, the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality (RCM), the organization Territoires Solidaires (SiS), and the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at Université de Montréal.
Identifying sites and designing housing
The project began with field research by L'Ensemble, which identified sites with untapped potential in five municipalities in the Brome-Missisquoi RCM.
Landry then guided students in his third-year architecture workshop in analyzing these communities to understand their specificities and identify areas suitable for densification.
The town of Sutton was eventually chosen as the test site. The proximity of the suitable sites, the vitality of the community and the potential for long-term growth made it an ideal laboratory for developing and testing the new housing model.
In the summer of 2024, Landry's students set to work designing housing for nine different sites within Sutton's boundaries.
"The students decided to develop different types of housing solutions," said Landry. "They also thought in terms of replicability, so although the housing is adapted to local characteristics, it's designed to be transferable to other municipalities across the province."
Tackling the housing crisis
One of the project's main objectives is to provide concrete solutions to the housing crisis in many communities across Quebec. The proposed 200 new housing units spread across the nine sites in Sutton will provide a range of affordable housing options.
Landry stressed the importance of housing everyone close to where they work.
"Some seasonal workers have to travel long distances from towns such as Granby to their jobs in Sutton," he said. "This project would meet their needs by creating affordable housing in town, which would reduce car use and encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transportation."
Benefits of densification
There can be resistance to urban densification, especially in rural and resort communities, where residents want to preserve open spaces and low population densities.
This pilot project aims to show that well-planned densification can actually help improve the quality of life while preserving the environment. The proposed development aims to contain urban sprawl, encourage active transportation and create public spaces where residents can gather and interact.
"This approach will benefit not only the environment but also social cohesion," said Landry. "By designing living spaces that are closer to services and shops, we will reduce car use and create more dynamic, connected neighborhoods."
Shin Koseki, the project's principal investigator and holder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at UdeM, echoes this sentiment. "This project is an opportunity for us to think about how we can bring together different populations, such as families, the elderly and seasonal workers," he said.
Getting the local community on board
The project's success depends on gaining local community support. A public consultation is therefore planned for February 2025, at which Sutton residents will have the chance to view the 3D models created by UdeM's architecture students and learn more about the vision behind the project.
The consultation will help demystify densification and show how it can meet residents' needs while preserving the living environment that makes the region so attractive.
"We want to show residents that densification isn't necessarily a threat to their quality of life," said Landry. "On the contrary, it can bring the town significant benefits, such as better services, gathering places and increased vitality. That's the message we want to get across at the public consultations."
Another goal of the consultation is to hear residents' opinions and concerns about the project and identify the initiatives they would like to see in Sutton.
A tool for other municipalities
The Sutton project is a pragmatic attempt to meet the housing needs of communities by integrating multiple forms of knowledge-scientific, technical, professional and civic - into housing design and implementation processes.
"It takes an action research approach that aims to have a concrete impact on public policy and planning practices," explained Koseki.
One of the project's goals is to adapt this planning tool to other urban settings.
"The project must be flexible enough to meet the needs of different communities across Quebec, from small rural villages like Sutton to larger, more dispersed towns like Cowansville," said Landry.
The sites selected for the Sutton pilot project, such as abandoned railroad tracks and religious buildings, are also common in many other Quebec municipalities, making replication on a larger scale feasible.
"In future phases, we plan to test this tool in other municipalities with different demographic and social characteristics to see if it can be adapted and have a positive impact," said Landry.
The ultimate goal is to make the tool available to all Quebec municipalities in order to create a more sustainable and affordable supply of housing throughout the province.
To this end, Landry encourages Quebec municipalities interested in the initiative to contact L'Ensemble or the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at Université de Montréal.
The UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape
A key player in this pilot project is the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at Université de Montréal, which is providing interdisciplinary expertise beyond architectural design.
Chair holder Shin Koseki explained that the project is in line with many of the Chair's priorities, including sustainable development, social inclusion and the promotion of local knowledge and expertise.
