Participatory Urbanism: A Lever for Family Retention

In the jargon of real estate developers and urban planners, we often talk about density, floor area ratios, and transit flows.

Yet, we frequently forget that the fundamental unit of residential life is the family.

Concertation Montréal (CMTL) conducted an extensive consultation with 111 children (69 in parks and 42 in early childhood centers) from various Montreal boroughs.

The goal? To integrate the vision of little ones into the redesign of Montreal's built environment. For a real estate journalist, this report is a goldmine: it defines the future amenities that will drive neighborhood value.

Statistics and Attendance Data

The study shows that children perceive the city through "micro-destinations." Parks are not just green spaces, but extensions of the family living room.

• Sample: 111 children aged 4 to 12, speaking French, English, Arabic, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

• Consultation Sites: 11 parks and 4 Early Childhood Centers (CPE) across the Island of Montreal.

• Preferences: While girls showed a propensity for treehouses and creative spaces (painting), boys prioritized sports infrastructure (soccer). These data points highlight the importance of mixed-use spaces in new residential development projects.

Social Impact and Urban Design

The social impact of this approach is significant.

 By consulting children, the City recognizes their status as full-fledged citizens.

The report highlights a crying need for safety: the "ideal" city for children is free of fast cars and rich in playful pathways.

For the residential real estate sector, this means the value of an asset no longer lies solely within the building itself, but in its "porosity" with safe public spaces. A "walkable" neighborhood for a 6-year-old is a neighborhood where parents will choose to settle long-term, thereby fighting suburban sprawl.

Budgets and Economic Impacts

While the consultation report is a qualitative tool, it exists within a robust financial context.

A few years back, the City of Montreal invested $176.3 million specifically in parks, green spaces, and playgrounds, out of a total investment budget of nearly $1.9 billion.

From an economic standpoint, investing in a child-friendly city generates a high return.

 Urban economics studies demonstrate that a healthy environment in early childhood reduces long-term social costs (health, academic success) and increases the city's attractiveness to a stable, skilled workforce.

Every dollar invested in local family-oriented design strengthens the municipal tax base by keeping households within the territory.

Summary of Study Results: The City Through Their Eyes

To better understand the scope of this consultation, here is a synthesis of the data collected and the aspirations expressed by young participants.

1.      Participant Profile and Territories 

The study prioritized an inclusive approach to reflect Montreal's diversity:

• Number of participants: 111 children consulted directly.

• Age: Two distinct groups: 4–5 year olds (consulted in CPEs) and 6–12 year olds (met in parks).

• Territories represented: Activities covered 11 parks and 4 CPEs across several boroughs, including: Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Ville-Marie, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, LaSalle, Montréal-Nord, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Saint-Laurent, and Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.

• Diversity: Children spoke multiple languages, illustrating the cosmopolitan nature of the metropolis.

2.      Key Interests (What Passionates Them)

The workshops revealed that children are not just passive users, but keen observers of their environment:

• Nature and Water: A marked fascination for natural elements. Fountains, splash pads, trees (for climbing or building forts), and the presence of animals are top priorities.

• Free Play and Adventure: They prefer structures that allow for imagination (castles, hiding spots) rather than overly rigid play modules.

• Active Mobility: Bicycles and scooters are seen as symbols of freedom, provided that paths are separated from cars.

3.      Main Recommendations from the Children 

The report synthesizes their demands into several concrete axes for urban planners:

• Safe Pathways: Reducing car speeds and increasing playful signage so that the journey between home, school, and the park becomes a safe play space.

• Massive Greening: Replacing concrete with grass and trees. To them, a "grey" city is a sad city.

• Free Access to Culture and Sport: They recommend more street libraries, public pianos, and multi-sport courts accessible without complex reservations.

• Adapted Urban Furniture: Benches and tables at their height, as well as shaded areas for resting during the summer.

4. Major Social Finding The study highlights a fundamental point for urban development: the sense of belonging. Children who participate in defining their neighborhood develop an increased respect for urban furniture and public spaces, thereby reducing the risk of long-term degradation.

These results demonstrate that the needs of children often mirror those of seniors (safety, benches, shade, nature). By designing real estate projects that meet the recommendations of this report, developers are not just creating housing, but resilient, intergenerational living environments.

Toward a More Human Montreal 2050

The "Raconte-moi ta ville" report is more than a collection of children's drawings; it is a roadmap for decision-makers.

For those of us in real estate and development, the message is clear: the resilience of our residential market will depend on our ability to build neighborhoods where, in the words of one young participant, we can "run without being afraid."

Reference Sources:

• CMTL Childhood Report – Raconte-moi ta ville

• City of Montreal Financial Report

• 2050 Urban Planning and Mobility Plan (PUM)