{"id":698,"date":"2008-03-09T10:11:48","date_gmt":"2008-03-09T15:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingmontreal.ca\/?p=698"},"modified":"2013-01-21T11:37:05","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T16:37:05","slug":"under-the-bridge-creative-use-of-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/03\/09\/under-the-bridge-creative-use-of-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Under the bridge: creative use of space"},"content":{"rendered":"

dscf1445.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s a bit of a paradox — bridges are meant to connect two sides of a gap, to bring them together, but they often act quite intentionally as barriers because the space beneath them is so problematic. There is a tendency to leave it unused and overgrown with weeds, or to give it up for some perfunctory use, like parking. <\/p>\n

But there are many creative solutions to dealing with the space underneath a bridge. I came across one of them when I walked under the Manhattan Bridge in New York’s Chinatown. Shops, retail arcades and produce stalls occupy the space beneath its stone arches; a fruit and vegetable market winds its way up the sidewalk along the north side of the bridge. Instead of dividing a neighbourhood in two, the bridge serves as a focal point for Chinatown. <\/p>\n

When I posted about this on Urbanphoto<\/a> earlier this week, a couple of commenters drew parallels to the CN Rail viaduct in Griffintown, which houses CN offices and private storage units under the tracks. It would be interesting to consider some more engaging uses for the space under the viaduct, especially as Griffintown is poised for redevelopment. <\/p>\n

There are other elevated structures in Montreal with wasted space underneath. The Jacques Cartier Bridge is one; although a nice plaza was recently built where the bridge crosses Ste. Catherine Street, the land beyond that is still empty and used for parking. Why not a soccier field or some green space, like under London’s Westway<\/a>? Same for the Notre Dame Street viaduct east of Old Montreal. It passes through a newly-built residential area lacking in retail and neighbourhood amenities; the viaduct could provide shelter for a weekly farmer’s market. <\/p>\n

Let’s hear from you. If the discussion that emerged after I posted about the Van Horne viaduct<\/a> is any indications, Spacing readers have some interesting ideas about what to do with our elevated structures. <\/p>\n

dscf1446.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n

dscf1443.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n

dscf1463.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s a bit of a paradox — bridges are meant to connect two sides of a gap, to bring them together, but they often act quite intentionally as barriers because the space beneath them is so problematic. There is a tendency to leave it unused and overgrown with weeds, or to give it up forContinue reading “Under the bridge: creative use of space”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213,7842],"tags":[91,53,2049,2048,9,36,2045,569,2050,125,352,18,5,135,2047,405,2051],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infrastructure","category-urban-design","tag-bridges-and-spans","tag-chinatown","tag-cn-rail-viaduct","tag-creative-solutions","tag-development","tag-griffintown","tag-jacques-cartier-bridge","tag-london","tag-manhattan-bridge","tag-montreal","tag-new-york","tag-other-cities","tag-planning","tag-retail","tag-retail-arcades","tag-van-horne-viaduct","tag-weekly-farmer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnder the bridge: creative use of space - Spacing Montreal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/03\/09\/under-the-bridge-creative-use-of-space\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Under the bridge: creative use of space - Spacing Montreal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s a bit of a paradox — bridges are meant to connect two sides of a gap, to bring them together, but they often act quite intentionally as barriers because the space beneath them is so problematic. 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