FAQ

“Active design is an urban development approach that identifies recognized strategies for land use, urban planning, urban design and architecture to support the well-being of communities and more specifically to encourage a physically active lifestyle and a healthy diet. As part of the approach to environments that encourage healthy lifestyle habits, active design aims at developing and designing lifestyle spaces that foster healthy choices.” – Vivre en Ville, inspired by the Center for Active Design, 2013

The term “active design” combines all the actions taken by urban planning and architecture stakeholders to encourage or multiply opportunities to be physically active and provide easy access to a healthy diet. 

“Outdoor activity in an urban context” has a broader meaning than outdoor activity as traditionally understood. Today, this term designates non-motor-powered physical activities performed in a dynamic relationship with elements of nature, such as gardening, games, observation and outdoor sports, close to a natural urban setting.

The concept of urban outdoors rests on an expanded vision of the outdoors in which our cities’ physical and cultural environments are adapted to take greater advantage of nature in an urban setting. Outdoor activities are performed in a dynamic relationship with elements of urban nature, consisting of laneways, parks, green and blue beltways and walking paths, whether it is time spent in free exercise, more intense physical activity or daily travel. In this vision, residential neighbourhoods can be equipped with green and active corridors or pedestrian or shared streets that allow children to play, walk or cycle to school. This concept also enables public spaces to be occupied in unusual ways, for example, by building an unregulated form of playground between two buildings or on a vacant lot.

The urban outdoor network is a connectivity approach to green spaces and to the city’s sports network, aimed at integrating access to parks, public spaces, pedestrian streets, playgrounds and sports fields for everyone. 

Using quantitative and qualitative data, Montréal’s Plan directeur du sport et du plein air urbains compares and clarifies various aspects of urban planning to create environments that encourage a physically active lifestyle. 

Focused on the human being and active design, the plan builds upon the connectivity of green spaces and the city’s sports network to integrate access to parks, public places, pedestrian streets, playgrounds and sports fields for everyone. It addresses areas that need upgrading in the sports network, such as park chalets.

The goal of the Plan directeur du sport et du plein air urbains is, first, to provide the many stakeholders with in-depth knowledge of the current state of Montréal’s urban sports and outdoor network and, second, to glean from them the issues leading to the Plan d’action du sport et du plein air urbains 2019-2029.

An action plan defines the actions to be taken, consistent with the master plan’s diagnosis, to achieve fixed objectives. It provides a framework of processes and sequences to be implemented, a monitoring and control method, a 10-year calendar and an overall budget. It identifies the administrative units of Ville de Montréal that will be responsible for completing each of the actions, or partners tasked with their completion, as well as the compliance of these actions with the city’s various policies. Once the action plan is completed, a report is produced, confirming whether or not the desired outcomes have been achieved.

The objective of the Plan d’action du sport et du plein air urbains 2019-2029 is to create environments that foster physical activity and sports to encourage people living in or travelling on the Island of Montréal to become and remain physically active.

Montréal’s recreational and sports equipment network, however, is facing a general maintenance deficit that has serious repercussions for the use of some of the most popular fields. Sports clubs and the population as a whole are affected by this situation as free exercise becomes an increasingly popular trend today. Despite major assets, several boroughs are experiencing disruptions in service due to the requirement that all group sports and outdoor equipment be appealing and safe (i.e. upgrading, maintenance, facilitation, communication and investment).

The Plan d’action du sport et du plein air urbains 2019-2029 is considering the production of two reports: the first is planned for 2024, and the second for 2029. 

The digital strategy refers to using technology and computer platforms especially to build  open data for citizens and optimize travel, among other things.

The Commission is a permanent public consultation body made up of nine elected officials from various boroughs and parties. Its mission is to help guide city council in its decision making and to encourage citizen participation in debates of public interest on issues of culture, heritage and sports.