The Paradox of the Modern City

Today, we are tackling a fascinating concept: how what lies beneath our feet can radically transform the quality of life, real estate value, and ecology of our neighborhoods.

Current events give us a perfect example with the recent holding of the World Tunnel Congress at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

This is not just a simple gathering of engineers. It is the starting point of a much broader reflection on the urban resilience of the Island of Montreal.

The 2026 World Tunnel Congress: A Green Legacy for Downtown

Organized by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA), this event brought together 2,000 international specialists.

Let's look at the immediate numbers first:

• Attendance: 2,000 underground infrastructure experts.

• Tourism Impact: Over 5,600 room nights generated in Montreal hotels.

• Direct Economic Impact: $1.6 million in spinoffs for Montreal and Quebec.

But the true impact of this congress—the one that will affect the real estate market and residents—is its sustainable legacy.

The Palais des congrès and the ITA, in collaboration with Soverdi, will finance tree planting on a university campus this June, specifically above a Réseau express métropolitain (REM) tunnel.

As Helen Roth, Executive Director of the ITA, points out, the goal is to demonstrate how "underground infrastructure can free up surface space to create greener, more human-centric urban environments."

Undergrounding at the Service of Montreal's Canopy

The project bequeathed by the World Tunnel Congress is not an isolated case. It is part of a major urban movement on the Island of Montreal aimed at healing the urban fabric and enhancing adjacent residential sectors by burying heavy infrastructure.

Here is an overview of these transformative projects:

1. Covering the Ville-Marie Expressway and the Place des Montréalaises

This is arguably the most striking example of urban repair in Montreal. The Ville-Marie Expressway (720/136), which acted as a concrete fracture between downtown and Old Montreal, has been partially covered.

• The Project: Creation of the Place des Montréalaises, a vast public space including a flowering meadow and pedestrian zones connecting the Champ-de-Mars metro station to the Old Port.

• Allocated Budget: Approximately $115 million.

• Real Estate and Social Impact: This project reconnects two historic neighborhoods, eliminates a critical heat island, and significantly increases the attractiveness and property value of surrounding residential and commercial developments.

2. Frédéric-Back Park (Saint-Michel Environmental Complex)

While not related to transportation, this is a masterpiece of underground management. A former limestone quarry turned into one of the largest landfills in North America, the site has been transformed into a massive 153-hectare urban park.

• The Project: A complex underground network captures and manages the biogas (methane) emitted by the buried waste. On the surface, nature reclaims its rights with bike paths, artworks, and abundant biodiversity.

• Social Impact: An ecological disaster transformed into a green lung for the Saint-Michel neighborhood, offering a safe and soothing gathering space for a historically disadvantaged community.

3. Biodiversity Corridors and the Integration of the REM

The REM, with its underground portions (such as the one under Mount Royal or the tunnel connecting downtown), allows us to rethink the surface.

• The Project: Much like the planting announced by the Palais des congrès, the borough of Saint-Laurent has developed a Biodiversity Corridor (initial budget of approximately $5 million) connecting green spaces fragmented by power lines and transportation infrastructure.

• Environmental Impact: Direct fight against the decline of urban biodiversity, natural rainwater filtration, and reduction of urban heat islands.

Impacts Far Beyond Economics

Initiatives like the one from the Palais des congrès de Montréal and Soverdi illustrate a paradigm shift.

The economic impact is no longer measured solely in hotel nights or dollars spent during an event. It is calculated in climate resilience, improved mental health for citizens with access to green spaces, and real estate appreciation for neighborhoods that trade the gray of asphalt for the green of the canopy.

Montreal proves once again that the city of tomorrow is built as much by the ambitions it raises toward the sky as by the intelligence of the networks it buries underground.