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Summary

Montrealers Shared What They Think 'Other Cities Should Copy Or Avoid From Montreal'

Obviously, the quality of the roads was high on the list of things to avoid.

People sitting around Beaver Lake in Montreal's Mount Royal Park on a spring day.

People sitting around Beaver Lake in Montreal's Mount Royal Park on a spring day.

Senior Editor

Montreal is a city of both pedestrian-friendly streets and sometimes senseless street signage, expansive public parks and roaring highways that rip through whole neighbourhoods, great public transit and detours that make you want to pull your hair out.

The city's triumphs and shortcomings are the inspiration for a February 26 Reddit post by user ABetterOttawa, who asked residents to name things "other cities should copy or avoid from Montreal."

Unsurprisingly the most common answers in the list of things à éviter concern the upkeep of our road network. "Avoid" the "asphalt quality control standards," u/Bioside98 wrote.

u/whiskeychene encouraged other cities to stay clear of the "construction mafia" and "confusing" parking signage.

"For a 'world class city,'" u/iAmM14 added, "the roads/infrastructure here is completely unacceptable."

from montreal

Montrealers are perhaps less quick to appreciate the advantages of living in Quebec's metropolis, like our higher quality of life thanks to the city's relative density, one of the items commenters would most like to see replicated elsewhere.

"They should copy our zoning," u/GrabNo4077 said. "A massive portion of our city is Medium to High density. These are typically the neighbourhoods with most walkability, strong community, better public transit, and closest services."

"My grandmother lives in Ahuntsic, she's in her 80's but never feels like she has problems accessing what she needs."

Montreal's parks were also popular. Several commenters acknowledged that while public parks are obviously universal, few other cities have as many or as great a variety of public spaces and activities.

And though residents might love to complain about it, Montreal's snow removal also frequently came up as an item other cities should be looking to copy.

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    • Senior Editor

      Thomas MacDonald was the Senior Editor of MTL Blog. He received a B.A. with honours from McGill University in 2018 and worked as a Writer and Associate Editor before entering his current role. He is proud to lead the MTL Blog team and to provide its readers with the information they need to make the most of their city.

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