Public consultation for Quebec architecture policy ongoing

Conversation aims to shape the future trajectory of building projects in the province

Public consultation for Quebec architecture policy ongoing
Residents and industry players across Quebec have been invited to participate in an ongoing public consultation for the future of the province’s architecture policy.

Scheduled until June 6, the Quebec leg of the consultation tour initiated by the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) has already conducted conversations with residents in Montreal, Quebec City, Rouyn-Noranda, Saguenay, Rimouski, Sherbrooke, Longueuil, Drummondville, Saint-Jérôme, Laval, Joliette and Trois-Rivières. It is slated to wrap up in Gatineau tomorrow.

This marked the first occasion on which Quebecers have been so extensively consulted about architecture, OAQ officials said. “Based on the premise that architecture shapes the quality of life of all citizens, the policy would frame government orientations with regard to the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and renovation of buildings, infrastructures and public spaces. It would serve to harmonize legislation and regulations pertaining to architecture and institute measures to foster architectural quality—that is, to ensure a built environment that emphasizes functionality, aesthetics and sustainability.”

"So far, the consultations we have held all over Quebec have yielded a number of meaningful conclusions. There is a sense that people want their cities to build public spaces on a more human scale,” OAQ president Nathalie Dion said. “Citizens are also concerned about the decline of city centres, and about urban sprawl. Enhancing built heritage and doing away with the lowest-bidder rule have also been mentioned several times.”

Interested parties who are unable to attend in person can join the conversation in the official forum.