I’ve written before about the Mile End Meadow, but here’s another great post from Alanah on SpacingMontreal.ca:
The land in question was private - albeit neglected - property belonging to [Canadian Pacific] that is in the process of being sold to the Plateau borough. Ultimately the borough’s intent is to extend Saint-Viateur street to the Carmelite convent, a plan that some residents criticize as it would pave over one of the only green spaces in the neighbourhood. For decades “grey space” has been appropriated by local residents to walk dogs, exercise, practice art and music, and even hold the occasional bonfire.
To me the most curious thing about the situation is that, while planting, weeding, and landscaping the site are banned activities, police told the residents that they may continue to pick up litter at the site. If the police were working to enforce anti-trespassing rules on private property, or if they were responding to liability concerns on the part of the private owners, why would citizens continue to be allowed to keep the site tidy?
The law specifically prevents people from leaving any lasting trace on public land (or in this case abandoned, soon to be public land). Perhaps it is because these actions would legitimize residents’ appropriation of the place long-term.
That’s exactly what I’ve been suspecting for a few months now. The site was used as a dumping spot for truckfuls of cleared snow during the winter, making it dangerous and at times impossible to use the space as a thoroughfare to the Eastern part of the neighbourhood, which many businessespeople, workers, and residents in the area have been doing for years. I started to suspect that the city was intentionally discouraging use of the space in order to loosen our connections and decrease our investment in it, thus enabling them to sell the land with fewer complaints.
I’m sure that this process takes place even more frequently in areas where the majority of residents are migratory or low-income or both. It’s easier to build in places where people don’t have the time, money, or access to do much about it. At dinner last night, everyone at the table had a story about a new development in their neighbourhood (St. Henri, Mile End, Montreal North) that followed this pattern.
