Montrealers should expect to see 200,000 more housing units and several tramways on the island by 2050, according to a new vision for the city unveiled by Mayor Valérie Plante.
The mayor presented the ambitious plan Tuesday morning for how the city would like 26 years from now. It is expected to include, “significant supply of off-market housing, varied and safe sustainable mobility options, local services throughout the territory and a strong emphasis on greening and resilient development,” the mayor’s office said in a news release.
In a nutshell, the plan includes thousands of new housing units, including 20 per cent of off-market housing to protect it from real estate speculation. Transportation is another key area of development, with plans for 360 kilometres of public transit and for nearly 70 per cent of trips made using public transit or “active transportation.”
More than 180 kilometres of tramways would cross one end of the island to the other, according to “Le Plan Montréal 2050,” which also calls for extensions to the blue and orange Metro lines.
Plante said she’s prioritizing tramways rather than major Metro development because “we do not have the means to develop major public transport projects,” in a jab to the Legault government.
“If governments tell us they want to fund the Metro everywhere, we’re open!” the mayor said.
Plante also wants nearly half of all employment centres to be served by public and active transportation, and to decarbonize Montreal buildings by 2040.
– With files from Noovo Info
More to come.