Renewed Objectives

The indoor city which has been developed in downtown Montréal over the last 45 years is a unique opportunity for this area to become an international reference for the renewed centrality put forward by sustainable development strategies. Indeed its protected walkway system enables an upgrading of public transit transportation, a better integration between arterial retailing and shopping malls, an increase in the attendance of public facilities such as libraries, art centers or theaters and an extension in the number of public spaces available in such a highly dense area. Still these achievements require more coordination in planning, more cooperation in management and more innovative design than is usually available.

Hence, while maintaining its earlier objectives

1. monitoring Montreal's underground in the downtown area
2. providing in-depth analysis of those issues related to the planning of mixed-use development in high density areas served by complex pedestrian networks,

the Observatoire de la ville intérieure aims at

3. becoming an experimental research center where new ways of bringing better coordination in planning, improved cooperation in management and innovative design of public space will be developed, together with the concerned parties, namely users of all types, building managers and urban planners.