La pandémie de COVID-19 et le débat sur l’étalement urbain : tournant majeur ou accident de parcours?

Abstract

On March 4, 2020, L’Actualité magazine published an article highlighting the trend towards densification and diversification of urban spaces in the province of Québec. Less than two weeks later, the Quebec population was called to lock up at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This major crisis presents the detached house as the ultimate refuge to protect oneself from the outside world, potentially calling into question 30 years of the fight against urban sprawl and its environmental consequences. This text summarizes the debate between two schools of thought that clash over the long-term consequences of the pandemic on urban planning in Quebec.