February 3, 2012 - Montréal, like any big city, is not without its own evolutionary path. Throughout history, urban districts everywhere have been reinvented to suit new ambitions, with some witnessing more significant change than others. For Montréal (and much of the Western world), the period between 1950 and 1975 saw a burst of activity propelled by expansive, post-World War II modernization.
Confronted with substandard neighbourhoods and driven by a determination to assert itself globally as a city of the future, Montréal underwent an extreme metamorphosis, an unprecedented and major urban redesign. Thousands of homes were demolished, and entire neighbourhoods were razed to make way for new horizons. The work was done methodically, painstakingly, with every house, business, and building systematically numbered and photographed before being destroyed. The data was then archived, and, more or less forgotten.
The current exhibition, Lost Neighbourhoods, brings these missing artefacts back to the forefront for us to explore this fascinating time of change. Punctuated with comments from city planners, architects, and engineers of the past and present, the show suggests a context, a reason, and a need for the transformation. A surprising revelation of collective memory, the exhibition also encourages visitors to question their own involvement in the evolutionary process of any city, including Montréal. Lost Neighbourhoods offers a striking perspective on urbanity and some food for thought for every citizen and urban dweller.
