25 Awesome Urban Transformations You Need to See 

Wow: Steam tells me I played the original Cities: Skylines for a total of 800 hours. How many hours did you put into the original game? Check out the sequel with our link here: play.citiesskylines.com/OhTheUrbanity

What I’m most impressed is that they don’t seem to wait for that final product but have multiple quicker builds that make it better in the interim. I wish my city could think like this

Its crazy how many places that I went to and enjoyed in the city were just updated/made more beautiful in the past 5 years. Amazingly steady progress.

The key thing, "with the right leadership and momentum," is that we are lacking that in many places in North America, but I'm very happy for the progress of Montreal.

The dominant theme: iterative improvement. You don’t come in with a grand master plan that gets everything built to a final state all at once. Rather, you take what you have and make it a little better. Then you come back and make it a little better again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Always making little changes to make things a little better when and where you can.

Montreal is doing beautiful work. Here in NYC, some stuff is happening, but there is such intense opposition. To the nimbies, losing a dozen parking spots is an existential crisis. I just can't imagine anyone looking at this footage of Montreal's projects and denying the benefit to the community. Even liberals in this city have a very car-centric view of life. Even my most progressive friends will hate on cyclists; as if car supremacy is part of a program for normalcy. I don't even start with these people, but I wish I could make them understand what a conservative impulse a status quo bias can be. I know Montreal must be very similar in certain ways, but NYC really seems to hate itself. Nobody can get behind a plan that doesn't directly benefit them.

It's crazy how livable Montreal is becoming, and how quickly it's happening. Other cities should take inspiration from it. The only concern is that, as livable as Montreal is getting, the rents are skyrocketing. I worry that only a select few will be able to enjoy the city's livability in the future.

As a Torontonian I am simply amazed by the notion of a city that cares about making itself livable for its locals (:

The fact that y’all have a stop sign + crosswalk + bike lanes at a WALMART. I’ve literally never seen a big box store\strip malls have stops signs or crosswalks in front of the doors like that ever ! That is the most simple thing that we can’t even get right in America.

6:14 Merci du fond du cœur pour diffuser ainsi la culture nationale québécoise et la présenter comme telle sous son propre nom, peu de chaînes le font quand la culture québécoise a tellement à offrir au reste du monde. Vous êtes ma chaîne d'urbanisme préférée, c'est pourquoi je viens de m'abonner, vous m'avez convaincu!

It’s nice to see other cities going in the right direction. In my city they set up protected bike lanes during the pandemic, but recently removed the bollards and turned it into a shared bike lane citing the need to “improve traffic flow.” As you can imagine, the number of cyclists in the area subsequently decreased and traffic is just as bad as ever.

Very impressive. I love the "do a temporary thing, and then make it permanent later" way of doing it. It allows people to experience something first without having to fight to convince locals it's a good idea, because they can say "it's only temporary", but then I presume the locals mostly like the changes, and then it's easy to get sign-off to make it permanent. More cities should do that.

This makes me fucking proud of my city. Incredible to look back on what all these space used to look like. Incremental changes add up. Also important to note that this is almost entirely the work of Project Montreal, the current mayor’s party. Politics is important!

Because of your channel I've moved to Montreal and in comparison to everywhere else in Canada it really is a gem!

1- One thing to not be underestimated for this urban culture: the French influence. Not the old and historic link with France but the actual city planning collaboration between France and Québec. Bordeaux has transformed a neighborhood after the visit of the Mayor of Bordeaux dans le Vieux-Montréal and the riverside of Québec city. Also, Paris and Montréal are developing bike lines at the same time (sharing experiences). 2- Young Architects and urban planners got involved in politics and were elected. That makes a huge difference. Being a montréalais since the 80's, all my adult life, the younger generation of politicians had a great influence about city life.

You know what ... I recently started paying attention to the changes occurring in Montreal, but I didn't realize the full scale of these changes before watching that. Although the memes about the massive concentration of orange cones in Montreal are, often, genuinely funny, I suspect that most people making fun of Montreal are actually missing the point (like I was). That vidéo just shifted my perception of the orange cones from "annoyance" to "progress". Thanks !

Perfect video to show people that say that this type of city design isn’t possible outside of older European cities. Great work!

I live downtown and in the last month or so, I quickly saw protected bike lanes take over an entire car lane on Av Viger and Rue St Antoine and it made me so damn happy. I often cross these streets and Viger especially can be super scary with a load of fast moving cars, having that extra space is incredible and it shocked me to see how quickly and efficiently Montreal is constantly improving their infrastructure. The rest of North America has loads to learn from this city, great video!

I've only lived in the city for 10 years, but the changes that have been happening to the city are phenomenal. It's great to live in such a livable city and not have to rely on a car to enjoy it.

I graduated from McGill University exactly ten years ago and haven't been back since. Montréal was already an amazing city back then, but Jesus Christ. I *REALLY* need to go back and visit now. All these changes, plus the REV, plus the REM, are nothing short of amazing.

Hey, I love this low level overview of changes in Montreal! Last time I was there was before the pandemic, as I grew up in New Hampshire and wanted to enjoy the lower drinking age with my friends😁, and am excited to see how it's improved! In urbanism we often focus on the big picture, but I like to see specifics of how improvements were achieved too!

Your stance on optimism is excellent. Thanks for this! I'm going over it with a fine toothed comb for ideas to rally around for my own city.

Thanks for taking the time to make this great video! I love your calm, friendly, and logical reporting style. With less cars, everything looks more human-friendly! Great response by the mayor of the borough: It is not the city's responsibility to find parking for every car.

Absolutely my favorite video of yours!!! Maybe make another video about how Montreal was able to achieve these goals politically?

this is why i'm moving to montreal soon, my native city of lévis barely bothers with having any bike infra whatsoever. even the police tells people to park in the bike lanes for the famous "2 minutes" and trends to victim blame people who end up in dangerous situation because of the bike lane parking. montreal is actually doing changes to aocmodate bikes and makes traveling within the city much safer and easier

This is my perfect video: before & afters, urbanism, and Montreal. Keep it up, y'all!

Could you imagine being a kid here and right outside your house there is an outdoor skating rink 😂 The outdoor gym was amazing as well. Such a good use of space. The fact that it’s all free is crazy, in U.S those dumbbells would be stolen so quick.

Amazing work! You have done a great list. Also we don't realise just how much courage is needed when trying to have those parking spots removed. You gotta give it to Valerie and her team.

Best city in north America. Love it

This makes my heart so warm and happy to see. Way to go Montreal, you're doing things right

as a Montrealer, we still think that it's not enough ! we want more bikes less cars !! (and more public transit)

Love seeing the progress done over time for some of these projects! It’s so important to remember that the good infrastructure we almost take for granted might have started out as a pilot project!

Seeing this happening in North America gives me hope

I am so jealous of your bike lines being so nicely designed to avoid dooring.

incredible to see these changes. Montreal is on a great momentum

This is such a fantastic video that should be sent to mayors and city planners around North America. Tons of spaces where cars were removed within only 10 years. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to do this everywhere.

I love these examples of real world improvements. We've got some holdouts on our city council who cant understand why we need to change things, let alone how to get there. But having an easy before -> after of small improvements really helps me show regular people what can be done and how to get there. Jokes on them though, since a lot of the local ordinances theyre shooting down are getting rammed through by the state. One NIMBY at the last meeting even said "while i dont want this development built, i think we have to realize that the developer only wanted to build a few spots and we said no, then he went to the state and now theyre gunna build a huge building. We sorta shot ourselves in the foot here and people have to realize that" Of course, the "monstrosity" they were talking about was.... 4 sets of 3 townhouses... but things are changing for the better!

Holy smokes Montreal is really doing amazing work! Those projects are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing!

I was just in Montreal two weeks ago. I can't recommend it enough. French Canada is awesome.

Really great video on how turning stroads, roads, and parking. Into friendly pedestrian ways. Only Edmonton can only dream of this

If you looked at the facebook comments ( when news articles were allowed on facebook in Canada ) , you would have thought that Valérie Plante was killing Montreal and that the city would never recover. Not listening to car apologists is probably her strongest quality so far 😆

I LOVE this video because it gives me hope. It's so easy to not see the progress of things when you look at a snapshot in time. Montreal is making some great strides!

I’ve lived in Montreal all my life, and use my bike for almost everything. But I have to say, seeing all these projects all at once, it kinda makes me realize how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful bike-friendly city. And yeah, you should move here! It’s awesome!

I live in Ottawa but come to Montreal as often as possible and you've highlighted many of the reasons why. These changes make wandering around the city a constant joy. Spaces feel to human scale, safe and filled with life and colour. I wish our city had the same passion for change and cared as much about people's lived experiences. Not only do the changes benefit people who live in Montreal, I really do feel they draw me and others to visit as well. Thanks for sharing all of these changes

this video gives me so much hope because all of the before pictures look Exactly like my city right now. too bad the politics of my city council sucks lol

Merci pour cette belle présentation des améliorations à Montréal et pour votre enthousiasme ! Bravo pour le sponsor avec Cities skylines ça correspond bien avec votre sujet et votre public!

This video was the final star for me to move to Montreal. I'm now even settled in yet and my life quality increased a lot

It would be awesome to see similar videos covering improvements that have been made in other Canadian cities like Vancouver or Halifax

I remember the plateau before the gas station closed, it was very different. L'esplanade tranquille also, holy did they do a good job

So refreshing to see streets and public spaces being reclaimed for people rather than the storage of automobiles.

Wow, I remember exploring Google Maps about a decade ago and being a little underwhelmed when looking at Montreal's bike infrastructure, but it seems like Montreal is now among the best and fastest-improving bike cities in North America, especially among the larger cities. It seems particularly impressive just how many new pedestrianized plazas there are. It feels like the former leaders in bike infrastructure like Portland and Minneapolis have stagnated even when just cycling infrastructure is considered. I'm not aware of anything like the rapid conversion of road/parking lanes into permanent plazas/gardens/businesses on the scale and ambition of Montreal after the covid blip of pedestrianization, especially not in Minnesota. The big urban renewal project here is turning a huge lot with a vacant K-mart that formerly disconnected Nicollet Avenue (restaurant/shopping street) into a . . . street with some shops and a park. Like, we have a street that was already disconnected, and all of the city's design proposals involve reconnecting the street, and only one of those have a modal filter, and even that one still allows transit rather than keeping space dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists (wonder how many private/commercial vehicles would just use the street anyway).

I am extremely jealous. And I am from Europe!! I am serioulsy speechless and I watched the whole video with my mouth open... This is unbelievable and I think this can change Jason's opinion on US future.

Montreal makes me so hopeful for my own city.

I would love to see more of such videos about positive changes that actually happened/are happening 🥰

"or 3 if you count the sidewalk like this van did" you guys are priceless

City skylines sponsorship is dope dope lmao

Wow merci beaucoup sur le partage du projet MR-63 ! Mon frère et moi travaillons sur ce projet depuis maintenant 10ans ! Nous avons très hate à l’ouverture!

I love how many creative uses Montreal has for all of its space! I absolutely love the idea of a place for kids to learn to ride bikes and of the mini outdoor gym.

I’m impressed with what Montreal is doing. I wish my city would have the option to do the same thing.

Have you ever considered getting involved in municipal politics? You obviously love Montreal, and you seem to have a great vision and understanding for the city. Regardless, thanks for putting our city under the spotlight!

Thanks for showing something that isn’t Europe.

Essential videos! We all too easily forget what the city looked like just a few short years ago and need to realize what the city would be like with another business as usual city administration. The longer the Plante admin stays in power, the better. Could I suggest you more of these kinds of videos when changes warrant them and put them in a playlist? It could also be a useful tool to convince people, as well as remember to appreciate the progress made!

It is always good when cities prioritize people over cars. Kudos Montreal!👍

Je me déplace à vélo. Et je découvre à chaque semaine de nouvelle transformation. Je suis émerveillé et pas mal fière de ma ville. Avez vous visité la transformation du parc rosemont ? Un concept incroyable.

It's wonderful to see the progression and creativity of urbanist projects in Montreal. Lots of great examples to learn from. I must make a trip there soon.

Wow! Some amazing actionable improvements for the city of Montreal! I can see why you both love the city so much! My only add to some of these places would be raised crosswalks. I think cities should take every opportunity to slow down traffic as much as possible!

Really heartening to see this progress.

This was great to see. So many smaller street scale changes that when out together make a big difference

It's nice to recognize so many places in your videos! Didn't know most of them even just 3 years ago, and I've lived in a nearby city all my life. I go by Terrasse Roy on most week days when I work at the office. I'll often stop there to either eat lunch or drink some water from the fountain and sit beneath a tree for a couple minutes if it's a nice day out. Great use of space. Not only is it very welcoming, but it also creates a kind of super block in that area. Since the street doesn't allow through traffic, you only get a few residents who use their vehicles, which calms the street down. I also started noticing a whole lot more of these modal filters in several places in the city. It really is starting to feel like you can go off the big paths like the REV and still have good, safe streets wherever you go in a vast portion of the city.

This is how a city in transition to a more livable city should look like. Good for Montreal. I see more glimmers of hope on YT, but this is citywide and with political support against the car lobby. It’s a first that I see a politician without a rubber spine, but a politician who keeps standing firm against the car lobby. This is a win-win. A win for pedestrians, cyclists, environment, and a win against the car lobby. At the same time a better city to visit and a better city to live in.

It's like watching the transformation of Amsterdam unfold. All of North America needs to study and apply these examples

Its incredible to see the transformation of this city. Truly the greatest north American city, and a model so many others should follow!

I don’t usually comment, but this is a brilliant video! Thank you so much for making this. I would love to see other urbanism content creators make similar videos for the cities they live in. Seeing progress in the US and Canada is awesome!

What I’m most impressed with is the willingness of the city leaders to actually make those changes. Where I am, barely anything happens proactively, if at all.

This video reminds me of the Gwanghwamun square in Seoul South Korea! It’s an amazing pedestrian plaza with a park/greenway nearby and I visited it multiple time and have such great memories of it. Later when I got back in the US, I saw a pic on Instagram of it, but it looked different with roads 6-7 lanes of roads on both side. Turns out the plaza has only been like it has for a bit more than a year, but no one cares now that 6 car lanes were removed and that I will always remember it as the new improved version that it is today

puts a smile on my face

In Montreal, the more "east" or "west" you go, the more you'll encounter resistance for these types of urbanization projects. Lots of people are stuck in their suburban mentality still. I love that they finally did something about all those "roads" and parking spots that dissected Laf park.

wow! its great to see how montreal goes from a temporary space, to permanent infrastructure. It allows city designers to learn from the temporary space and fix issues before making it permanent. i feel like this is something that Toronto greatly struggles in. We have some progress, but its mostly just paint and temporary structures. It seems rare that that things get improved from mediocre temporary structures, to much improved permanent spaces.

It's so impressive seeing how much positive change Montreal making. In NYC, each change is met with small but strong opposition from drivers. Even more impressive to me is seeing how all of the changes in Montreal start out as temporary and then become permanent. In NYC, while we have quite a few "bike lanes" and other improvements, they all seem to remain what you classify as "temporary" changes forever, never moving on to being physically permanent.

I am excited for the people of this city for that they got so many New little Parks and saver streets!

This makes me want to use my Canadian citizeship and move to Montreal!

As someone who has lived in Montréal all my life and use quite a lot of the place you just talked about, I cannot understate how much they are awesome I remember taking 23. Parvis de Biencourt everyday to go to the elementary school behind the church and good damn are kid today lucky to have this much more beautiful and safe place to walk in There's still a lot of work to do to make Montréal better but seeing all those small thing gives me hope

This is a fantastic video, geeat inspiration for us all

Solid work. Thanks!

it feels so good to see positive changes occur. small, incremental changes are so important and impactful. the shift from a parking lot to an area where children can play and ride bikes seems small but is actually a huge change in quality of life for children. it provides an opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills and just be a kid. what was once a desolate, un-utilized parking lot is now an area for life. it makes me so happy and optimistic to see what montreal has accomplished.

I know you're based in Montreal but I would love if you ever did a video on Washington DC. It's not quite the same but there have been some great updates in the last decade.

Ottawa could learn a lot from Montreal..

Very thankful for the positive aspects of things that are happening!! Makes me hopefully more will happen

This is amazing. I think this is really important to show people what can be done. I can't imagine anyone looking at those new areas and not thinking they looked nice and inviting. Wish we could get this in Ottawa.

Looks like we need a part 2 for this video, and I was waiting for ave de Pins. Hopefully I can ride it soon ! Great vid

A well done video document on changes to our city. I have lived in the heart of the "Plateau-Montréal" borough for the past 39 years. For a long time, we were convinced that what we had, and were building, was one of the best kept secrets in Canada. Well, I guess that secret has now been revealed.

This is probably my favorite video of yours. So awesome. I loved montreal when i lived there

I’m excited for the recent bylaw changes in my city of Edmonton Alberta, hopefully it won’t be long and our neighborhoods will move in the right direction! Having a mass upzoning across the board will change the game.

The changes look amazing! The streets look so much more inviting with all that greenery and space to cycle/walk. I want that outside gym, looks so cool! I do think the city planners should think of car parking, as people are still reliant on their cars in the US and Canada. Amsterdam is removing 10K parking spots in the city so people get more space in the streets (and children get more space to play outside), but they also built an underground parking garage so residents can park their car. Usually residents get a special pas they can leave in their car, to "prove" they are a resident and need a parking space. Cities also build transferiums, car garages at the edge of the city, so people from outside the city can park there and then use transit to get into the city center. Even with good bicycle infrastructure and transit, people still need or want to drive and residents still need to park their car somewhere. You want to get everyone on board with this and not get people angry. Some people need to haul groceries into their homes or they have a handicap and can't walk far, so you can't just say 'screw you and your car'. The goal (at least for now) should be more trips on bicyles and less with cars, not that everyone has to give up their car. In the Netherlands 30% of trips are still done by car (mostly commuting to work and sometimes to get a big grocery haul for the family) and there's still a high percentage of car ownership. In the future it would be nice if car sharing would be the standard.

This is very impressive. In the last few years Ottawa has also been doing quite a lot of improvement for bike users, as well as pedestrians. Sadly, with our new mayor elected last year, I am afraid the pace of change will slow down, or god forbid be reversed.

This is so exciting!

Its urban renewal, but the second generation: Actually making cities better instead of destroying them!

We are doing great. Great video guys and congrats to paradox for getting a spot on your channel :) I will be playing some cities 2 for sure

Magnifique! Wow... Montreal is becoming more and more tempting by the day. And that MR-63 project, reusing the old Metro trains, I've got to check that out. Merci for the video!

If Quebec City could do half of this, it would be really nice. :)