Citizen's Guide to City Politics, A

"Bravo! A hard-hitting exploration of Montreal issues just in time for the city’s 2021 election. Progressive yet non-partisan. Full of savvy on what city hall could do about climate change, public transit, policing, tax-system reform, sprawl, the REM, democratic reform and tenants rights. Initiates a needed discussion on repositioning Montreal in a post-pandemic world." — Henry Aubin, journalist and author of the 1977 bestseller: Les vrais propriétaires de Montréal, published by Éditions l’Étincelle World cities face persistent tension between the pull of globalization and the needs of citizens. Conventional political parties present milquetoast solutions that accommodate the interests of business. Meanwhile, citizens in cafes, meeting halls, on the streets, and now in virtual forums are rising to the challenge of imagining new and radical municipal policy from the ground up. This book explores the future of Montreal’s citizens’ movements at a moment defined by the threats of pandemic, austerity, housing speculation and insecurity, and racism. It pairs contemporary analysis with an exploration of Montreal’s rich municipal history. The editors of A Citizen’s Guide to City Politics gathered more than twenty activists, urban planners, and thinkers to address the major problems facing Montrealers and propose alternatives from a citizen's perspective. Municipal movements everywhere will see their own struggles reflected in this guide and will find inspiration for debate and action. Eric Shragge taught community organizing and development at Concordia and now works with Mostafa Henaway as an organizer at the Immigrant Workers Centre. Jason Prince is an urban planner and social economy expert who teaches at Concordia University in Montreal. Table of Contents Introduction - Mostafa Henaway, Jason Prince, and Eric Shragge Preface - Luc Ferrandez Montreal, between Oral Tradition and Historical Archives - Eric Pouliot-Thisdale Power and the City - Mostafa Henaway, Jason Prince, and Eric Shragge PART I. NATURE AND THE CITY Despair and Hope: A Story of Montreal’s Natural Spaces - Patrick Barnard Montreal's COVID-19 Pandemic: A Crisis of Inequality - Elizabeth Leier Montreal’s Changing Climate: There Is No Turning Back - Joey El-Khoury PART II. MOVING IN THE CITY Debating Public Transit: What about a Regional Tramway? - Luc Gagnon and Jean-François Lefebvre F*** the Car: A New Vision for Transport in the Montreal Region - Jason Prince Beyond Critical Mass: Scaling up Bike Infrastructure in Montreal - Bartek Komorowski Streets That Breathe—Controlling Cars - Claire Morissette PART III. PLANNING THE CITY Solidarity Architecture and Social Urbanism - Christelle Proulx Cormier and Ron Rayside The Reconstruction of Montreal’s Chabanel District - Mostafa Henaway and Norma Rantisi PART IV. THE ECONOMY AND THE CITY The City as Sweatshop - Mostafa Henaway The Social Economy and the City - Jason Prince PART V. HOUSING THE CITY Municipal Government: Ally or Adversary of Montreal’s Co-operative Housing Sector? - Jacob Ryan Community Housing: Leveraging Our Collective Assets - Jean-Pierre Racette How to Fight Your Landlord: Gentrification and Tenant Organizing in Montreal - Jon Milton PART VI. GOVERNING THE CITY Power and City Hall - Linda Gyulai Consultation, Participation, or Power: What’s in It and for Whom? - Eric Shragge PART VII. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE CITY Contesting Racism: Challenging Policing in Montreal, An Interview - Robyn Maynard Whose City? Claiming Justice for Indigenous Peoples - Christopher Curtis Pushing Municipal Boundaries: Experiences of Montreal’s Immigrant Workers Centre - Cheolki Yoon PART VIII. UPPITY 'HOODS AND THE CITY Milton Parc: Grabbing and Keeping Community Control - Nathan McDonnell Pointe-Saint-Charles: Legacies and Continuity - Jocelyne Bernier and Cédric Glorioso-Deraiche Montréal-Nord: Community Power Catalyzed by Hoodstock - Rushdia Mehreen, Mzwandile Poncana, and Will Prosper Final Word: Prenons la ville! - Mostafa Henaway, Jason Prince, and Eric Shragge