Shaughnessy Village - History - Urban Redevelopment

Urban Redevelopment

Sections of Shaughnessy Village are abandoned, though not to the same extent as the mid-late 1990s. There are several large apartment blocks that sit completely abandoned, in addition to a long row of commercial properties along Saint Catherine's Street.

Petty crime is slightly above average in this part of town, and a higher than average level of homelessness given the number of abandoned buildings in which to squat. Public drunkenness and drug usage is one of the more bothersome social pathologies, though the area in which this activity takes place is somewhat limited.

The presence of ever-expanding Concordia University and Dawson College have had a generally positive impact on the quality of life in the area, which has arguably been steadily gentrifying in the last twenty years. The Montreal Children's Hospital will soon vacate its property south of Cabot Square, and several other heritage buildings in the area have had a difficult time weathering the recent economic troubles.

The city of Montreal released a comprehensive city beautification plan in March of 2011, but has not acted on it so far. Property prices are relatively low given the proximity to the urban core, and so is somewhat perennially described as an 'up-and-coming neighbourhood'. Recent investments in the area, such as the new tourism institute to occupy the old Victoria Grammar School (1885) and the Seville Condo project may help maintain the momentum of redevelopment.