La controverse sur la densification au Québec : un choc des valeurs sur la forme de l’habitat et des milieux de vie

Abstract

In the spring of 2022, we witnessed sustained controversy in the written press on the issues of urban sprawl and residential densification in the province of Quebec. The debate was raging in wake of the exchanges surrounding major transportation projects in Quebec City and Montreal, as well as following the national conversation on urban and regional planning that preceded the adoption of the Politique nationale de l’achitecture et de l’aménagement du territoire (Quebec’s national policy on architecture and land use planning). Taking into consideration the issue of climate change, the approach of soft densification and the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD) are proposed by the policy, but there is no unanimity on that matter within the population, or even among the government’s elected representatives of the Coalition avenir Québec political party at the National Assembly. In this paper, we will address the clash of values behind the controversy, by way of a press review.