Frédéric-Back Park is a striking example of urban reinvention, transforming a former landfill into one of Montreal’s largest and most ambitious green spaces. Spanning 192 hectares in the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex, this evolving park is a massive environmental rehabilitation project, blending recreation, sustainability, and culture. Its white biogas-collecting spheres—surreal markers of the site’s past—dot the landscape, while meadows, trails, and wooded areas carve out space for runners, cyclists, and cross-country skiers. Educational programs and public art installations make it as much a cultural space as a natural one. The park’s ongoing restoration introduces thousands of trees and shrubs, reclaiming the land with biodiversity in mind. With lookout points, picnic areas, and a growing network of paths, it’s both a bold ecological statement and a much-needed urban escape—proof that even the most damaged landscapes can find new life.
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