In the summer of 2020, in a pandemic context, Ontario Est street was closed to automobile traffic to revitalize the commercial artery and revive the neighborhood after a spring of confinement.
To improve this pedestrianization experience, the borough collaborated with Ville de Montréal’s Bureau du design, NIPpaysage, ATOMIC3, Paprika and Signature design communication to deploy a concept including furniture, marking and display.

Give the space back to the public on a commercial artery amid a pandemic

Libres cours on Ontario! aims to create a place of meeting and escape at the service of the population and merchants to create an inclusive and safe space, conducive to socialization despite the context of physical distancing.

Make possible physical distancing at a meeting place

Renew the dialogue between merchant and citizen by creating an inclusive and safe place to socialize for the neighborhood residents.

Be flexible and agile

With a 4-week deadline to design and build the project, we quickly realized that we wouldn’t have all the answers. We had to adapt quickly by listening to feedback from the users and the merchants.

Reusable equipment

The equipment had to be easy to dismantle and store in order to be reused in the following years.

“For us, the pedestrianization of Ontario Street is literally the difference between a possible bankruptcy and a good summer. Overnight, we had to do 360 degrees and become a restaurant. Being able to set up tables outside thanks to pedestrianization had a huge impact.”

the owner of the Blind Pig Brewery, Antoine Ormandy

“Let me tell you how happy I am when I walk around Ontario and I see the street busy and crowded with people. This contrasts with the state she was in after suffering the repercussions of the confinement. This festive and unifying layout gives Ontario Street the dose of love it needed”

the mayor of the borough, Pierre Lessard-Blais