Can Montreal Remain a Placemaking Capital of the World?

It's a regular Thursday evening. I'm walking from a meeting to a show at the Belgo on Sainte-Catherine Street when something stops me in my tracks.

I can hear salsa music. I follow a manicured path that leads me into Phillips Square. Then I see the dozens of dancers, moving together like they've been rehearsing for weeks. Around them, onlookers go about their evening entirely unbothered by the spectacle beside them, enjoying the redesigned public space. A cultural experience unplanned, and emerging in front of me almost as if by accident.

This accidental cultural moment felt entirely spontaneous, and entirely Montreal. It crystallized something I’ve been saying for a while: our city has good public spaces, and the magic of good public life as a result.

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