Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford
I'm nitpicking but it bugs me that Montreal is frequently described in such a manner. Montreal isn't a particularly old city, nor does it have much (admittedly subjective) gorgeous architecture. It's the incessant Francization (?) of Montreal/Quebec, turning it into some fiction of baguettes and chateaus.
Montreal was much smaller than, say, Cleveland or Buffalo. Is Cleveland frequently referenced as some historical gem? Montreal, outside the core, looks very typically Canadian, with lots of postwar commieblocks and the like. It doesn't have anything like a French feel, or even a Philly feel, for that matter. It's very North American, just with a differing dominant language. The really nice areas look like Brookline, not Versailles.
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Nobody thinks that Montreal looks like France, but despite having similar populations to rust-belt American cities in say 1950(?), it offers some of the better urbanism you will find on this continent and people tend to like it because it fits the current urbanist trends pretty well (particularly for Norther America) and continues to urbanize along those lines. People also like it because its cheaper than other 'urbanist' cities, particularly with the USD to CAD conversion. This tends to contribute to its reputation as a vibrant city. And because this thread is about quality of life, Montreal is one of the safest cities in North America (if not the world). Don't think the same can be said for Cleveland or Buffalo.
The comparison to similar sized cities in another country some 75 years ago is overly simplistic. No one refers to Cleveland as a historical gem in part because it has experienced significant de-urbanization, the likes of which hasn't been witnessed in any Canadian city. I personally find much of Downtown Cleveland to be very beautiful and well composed. I'd say the same for its peer cities in the region, most of which I've had the pleasure of spending time in. Then you cross the interstate into the inner-city and the drop off is severe.