On September 27, 2019, Montreal hosted a feverish crowd inspired by young activist Greta Thunberg at the Climate Marchthe largest of its kind in the world. The march started on Avenue du Parc, near Hôtel-Dieu and the Milton Parc cooperative district, at the foot of our mountain, a heritage site that has been protected since the 19th century by the combined efforts of the population, institutions and public authorities. These places now also bear the memory of a historic march, but what more can they do to counter our desolate climate reality?
The Climate March has certainly left its mark on the imagination of Montrealers, but it has also influenced several more concrete actions on the part of our administration and our elected officials. Think of the first Climate Plan recently proposed by Mayor Valérie Plante. At the beginning of 2020, climate change and the urgent need to find innovative solutions to get out of an inevitable impasse seemed to be at the heart of citizens' concerns, on a global scale. It was widely predicted that the climate crisis would drive the next economic crisis. The current health crisis has certainly outpaced the climate crisis, but the situation is no less serious, and while we initially believed that this pandemic would help us slow the pace of greenhouse gas emissions, it has shown that even a significant slowdown in global car and air traffic will not be enough to achieve our goals.
The role of cities in this crisis and the potential of built heritage
Cities are all the more concerned by this climate issue as they are at the heart of the problem. The urbanisation that has taken place since the second half of the 20th century has destructured and weakened our natural environments. And the city, which is known to be energy-intensive, is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. Urban areas are also centres of industrial activity and generate a significant volume of travel, reinforced by urban sprawl that never reaches its limits. Not to mention the footprint of the construction and demolition sector, which generates 41% of the residual materials produced in Quebec.
At the same time, urban areas are also at risk as they contain a high concentration of people, infrastructure, major institutions, businesses and economic resources.
In this context, cities are rightly considered to have a responsibility in the face of climate change and must play a leading role in the implementation of viable solutions. Like Montreal, several large cities, such as Paris (2018), New York (2019) and London (2019), have put in place mitigation tools and major climate plans in the last decade to do their part in this crisis. Despite numerous efforts and a change in mentality that is slowly beginning to take place, there is still a lot to be done. The built heritage is certainly part of the solutions to be promoted to ensure the well-being of present and future communities.
Built heritage: a wealth and a solution for the future
Barely a year ago, the Auditor General of Quebec published a damning report on the safeguarding and development of real estate. This document was accompanied by very interesting observations from the Commissioner for Sustainable Development. In particular, the latter recalled that heritage contributes to the quality of life of citizens, and also promotes social cohesion, job creation, and economic and tourism development. Above all, he emphasised that the built heritage represents a strong potential for sustainable development. As many people already recognise: the 'greenest' building is the one that is already built(Elefante, 2007).
While old buildings are often considered energy intensive, the demolition and construction of a new building, however green and energy efficient, has a much greater environmental impact than the preservation of an old building, especially if it has been well maintained. leed demolition and construction of a new building, no matter how green and energy-efficient it may be, has a much greater environmental impact than preserving an old building, especially if it has been well maintained (see my article of 21 December on themaintenance of real estate assets). Studies indicate that the construction of a new building can require, depending on the circumstances, about as much energy as the operation and maintenance of a building for 40 to 80 years. The preservation of buildings or complexes of heritage interest is all the more important because these places, often of great architectural quality, are also the bearers of know-how, memory and collective identity.
In this context of climate crisis, it is therefore necessary to engage in a real reflection on the maintenance and reuse of heritage buildings. Not only is there a need for a real desire to conserve what can be conserved, but it is also necessary to acquire the tools and expertise to do so. For example, to ensure that each demolition is carried out in a responsible manner, the life cycle analysis of buildings should become a must. Life cycle analysis of a building allows for the environmental assessment of its entire life cycle - from the extraction of raw materials to the end of its life (e.g. demolition and debris management), including the manufacturing, use, maintenance and transport phases. At the same time, a better understanding of the craftsmanship and materials used in the construction of buildings of heritage interest could also contribute to making our cities more resilient.
Image: Vivien Gaumand, 2020.
Better integrate protection of the built heritage and the environment
In the last decade, much work at local, national and international levels has identified cultural heritage conservation as one of the key strategies for achieving sustainable development and climate change objectives. For example, heritage is recognised as such in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, inUNESCO 's recommendations and in those of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Heritage actors have also mobilised in the form of the Climate Heritage Network. The result of international efforts, notably by ICOMOS, this network works to highlight the contribution of heritage to the fight against climate change and the impacts of these changes on heritage. At the local level, the reports of the Committee of Municipalities on the Environment and the Quebec law on sustainable development also mention it.
Recognising both the importance of protecting built heritage and the environmental benefits of such protection, these bodies advocate increased maintenance and monitoring of heritage buildings, as well as the need for better preparedness for climate threats. For example, ICOMOS recommends improving :
- research ;
- the level of knowledge and commitment ;
- education ;
- the quality of management plans (to include risk assessment);
- monitoring (to increase the resilience of heritage sites).
These are the first steps to be taken to deepen our knowledge and improve our methods of preservation, maintenance and enhancement of the built heritage.
What remains to be done
It is in this context thatHéritage Montréal wished to establish its own position on this important issue by proposing a resolution on heritage and the climate crisis at its 2020 General Assembly. Through this resolution, Héritage Montréal urges Ville de Montréal, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and the Quebec and federal governments to recognize the protection and enhancement of built heritage as fundamental components of their strategies for sustainable development, ecological transition and the fight against climate change.
Beyond this recognition, we also need concrete actions to facilitate real change, and measures to hold public and private decision-makers and promoters accountable if they act against this recognition. It's time for our decision-making bodies to demonstrate exemplarity and leadership in this respect. Accordingly, Héritage Montréal encourages governments to develop policies, programs and planning tools that prioritize the adaptation and requalification of land and heritage, as well as collaborative mechanisms for their implementation. In this regard, the organization stresses the importance of updating the Montreal Urban Planning and Mobility Plan.
In short, whatHéritage Montréal is asking for is the diligent and careful adoption of a principle of precedence for what is already there.
Every spring, the Annual General Meeting ofHéritage Montréal adopts resolutions General Assembly adopts resolutions on issues that are important to it and that it considers to be priorities. In 2020, we adopted four resolutions: one on The Future of the Old Port (2020-04), one on the effects of Covid-19 on our heritage (2020-02), a third on theproperty maintenance (2020-03) and one on heritage and the climate crisis (2020-01). So many blog posts followed during the year. I'll be back with more articles on our 2021 resolutions in the coming months.
