“To face the new challenges, but also to protect the community’s assets”

Westmount and the Imagine Westmount 2040 team are proud to have hosted, last week, a free webinar on Building Sustainable Cities by world-renowned urban planner Larry Beasley.

Concerning the City, Larry Beasley had this to say: “Westmount is intimate, it is gracious, it has a vibrant community culture, and it has a very strong identity that people connect with at an emotional level. So, while you definitely must position the city to cope with all the urgent new requirements, your next Master Plan also needs to protect and leverage the undoubted assets that are already out there.”

In addition to answering questions from the webinar’s attendees, Mr. Beasley shared his thoughts on four topics that he hopes will help Westmount’s community build a modern and inclusive Master Plan:

• Key urban imperatives that will determine Westmount’s future
• A framework for smart growth
• International best-practices in urban planning
• New ideas from particularly innovative places

A YouTube link is currently available on the Westmount’s Engagement Platform for those who missed the webinar. The Imagine Westmount 2040 team strongly encourages citizens to watch it, as many interesting issues and questions relevant to the City’s future were discussed.

In the meantime, you can get acquainted with some of the ideas shared by Larry Beasley in this very short overview:

1. Don’t start from scratch, leverage what makes your community a great place to live.
2. Liveability, Sustainability, Resilience – these are the three essential urban imperatives for a modern city and the basis for a sustainable growth framework.
3. It is within this framework for sustainable growth that topics such as density and mixed-use, diversity, neighborhood, mobility, heritage and the environment can be addressed.
4. Embrace new ideas like the shared economy, 15-minute neighborhoods, new forms of mobility and integrated mobility, reclaiming streets for pedestrians, urban tranquility, home-based work, and e-commerce, while staying true to what your community is all about.
5. Build your new Master Plan upon an overarching ethic for sustainability and inclusion that relies upon public engagement, building partnerships and tapping the latest technologies.

Your voice matters!

The Imagine Westmount 2040 team is committed to hearing from all voices throughout the City’s Master Plan Review Process. As such, the team is eager to hear what your thoughts on the webinar and the larger goal of building a sustainable city in Westmount. With which elements of Mr. Beasley’s presentation do you agree (or disagree)? What are the general (or specific) outcomes that the community should set out as future goals? Share your ideas in the discussion tool below and use your voice to shape the future of your community!