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URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND REVITALIZATION: THE CASE OF THE MILE END IN MONTREAL DIANE-GABRIELLE TREMBLAY, WITH JUAN LUIS KLEIN AND JULIETTE ROCHMAN ROTTERDAM, APRIL 2014 Our research develops on urbain sustainability and revitalization and studies the case of the Mile End in Montreal. We consider that Social Cohesion and Employment issues are important for urban sustainability, the environmental dimension not being sufficient. Slide 2 PLAN 1)Object of the research 2)CED and CEDC in the Qubec model 3)Social cohesion 4) Social cohesion and urban sustainability 5) Results 6) Examples 7)Actions 8)CEDCs and social cohesion 9)CEDCs and urban sustainability Slide 3 1) OBJECT OF RESEARCH Research question: urban sustainability and role of social cohesion To what extent does the revitalization begun in the Mile End, widely supported and coordinated by SSE organizations, point to the need for a revision of our notion of sustainability in urban development? In other words, does the case bring us to reconsider our vision of the sustainable city? broad definition of the social and solidarity-based economy, one that includes community organizations and NPOs. Slide 4 CECED and CEDCs are part of the movement to economic development of social movements in Qubec, which is an important innovation, favorable to urban sustainabillity This innovation contributes to the development of a plural and partnership-based economy 10 CEDCs in Montreal, the oldest and more established are more active in relation with the community = ++ community based 2) CED and CEDCs in the Qubec Model Presence in many districts where there is poverty Slide 5 3) What is social cohesion? Constructed through social challenges where groups confront their views and positions With coordination by some organizations, such as CEDCs research effort which tries to bring together social sustainability and environmental sustainability (Mehmood and Parra, 2013) wherein urban renewal and economic restructuring, including the quantity and quality of employment, are addressed through an integrated approach (Tremblay and Rolland, 2004), Two main explanations : 1)Sharing common values 2)Mechanisms favoring social and economic solidarity Some say it is the Corn Starch of a society. Keeps it together. Slide 6 4) Social cohesion and Mile End: what is the issue today Mechanisms for social integration appear to be less efficient Population is more diverse Many social inequalities in various districts, including Mile End + risks of gentrification Governments intervene less and have more difficulty ensuring the social and economic development of all Building bridges at the local level in Mile end and other districts Slide 7 SOCIAL COHESION AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY Public interventions that focus only on economic aspects, that is to say, job creation yet without concern for the quality of these jobs or the ability of people from the community to access these jobs, tend to increase incomes for only a minority of the residents; these, in turn, will then be tempted to move to areas that reflect their range of income. The solution, one which corresponds to our understanding of sustainable urban development, is to intervene with integrated territorial development strategies at both the social and the environmental level at the same time (Moulaert and Nussbaumer, 2008). the concept of the sustainable city and its broader implications must find a balance between these two approaches and concerns. As Theys (2002) points out, the aim is to reconcile two cultures, or mindsets, that traditionally ignored each other: the urban culture, which has a significant regard for social issues, and the environmental mindset, which focuses on technical and ecological standards and thresholds. Slide 8 SOCIAL MOBILIZATION AND COLLECTIVE ACTION Social mobilization and collective action is brought about when individuals develop an awareness of the fact that they do not have access to the incomes, services or the levels of decision-making necessary to exercise what they consider to be their rights. This then leads them to progressively challenge the framework and the political and economic status quo. The spread of a social cause within a population can therefore, under these conditions, contribute to the emergence and crystallization of a cohesive social movement that has well-defined objectives. Slide 9 5) RESULTS Living together Common goals Working together Social mix of people Quality of life Feeling of belonging and identity Respect for differences Support to others All important for urban sustainability a) What is social cohesion in Mile End community organizations ? Slide 10 5) RESULTS b) What are the main social cohesion/integration factors put forward in the community? Social mix oWithout this, no cohesion oControl over gentrification Convergence, consensus oDiverse interests oRespect for diversity Belonging to the Mile End oPositive identity Concertation and consensus building oMultisectoriality oMany community organizations are active on this issue Slide 11 Figure 1:Model of the structuring effects of local initiatives Collective learning, Institutional densification Resource mobilization Local initiative Territorial awareness Collective action Concertation Empowerment Local solidarity Slide 12 Table 2:Intervention of community actors and the SSE at different levels OrganizationOverall mission at the supra-local levelAction in the Mile End CSSS Social, medical and community services Coordination of round tables Sustainable development project, 2007 (CSSS; the Institut du Nouveau Monde; the Centre dcologie urbaine; and the CDEC) Participation of the actors of the Mile End Delegation of a community organizer at the CCME YMCA du Parc Community services Local advisory committee composed of citizens representing the borough and private enterprises (Ubisoft, Caisse Desjardins) Participation in round tables Financing of community projects through private charity funds Catalyst for an NPO of a group of artists dedicated to visual arts (AME-ART, Artistes du Mile End), 1998 CDEC Provision of different social economy funds Support to local development and the SSE Mediation and intermediation Support to the artistic community for the recruitment of a management consultant Creation and/or coordination of several new governance bodies (citizens forum, Comit de revitalisation du secteur St Viateur Est) Creation of the NPO Pied Carr Slide 13 5) RESULTS c) Effects in the Mile End Employability (training) Local Dynamics Revitalization Local initiatives Business creation Representation of the community Social inclusion Slide 14 Table 3: Winning conditions for sustainable local initiatives Source: Fontan et al. (2011) Leadership1.The existence of a socially constructed leadership. 2. The capacity of leaders and local actors to mobilize a large diversity of resources, both internal and external, and to combine them. Governance3. The existence of bodies and organizations that support actors to solve conflicts locally between each other and to learn how to act collectively. 4. The collaborative identification of strategic objectives for making creative use of government programs and other resources supporting the development of communities. Territory5.The building of positive identities and a territorial awareness, which promotes the involvement of actors with their community. Slide 15 The orientation of local projects Main projects Presence of objectives related to sustainability aspects Environ- mental EconomicSocialCultural Comit de revitalisation du secteur St Viateur Est Repenser St-Viateur, public spaces, traffic, planning StrongAverageStrong Public spaces and local farmers market StrongAverageStrongAverage Le Champ des Possibles StrongNoneStrongAverage Development of social economy businesses (e.g., LAB, Mlt Couture, coop Ecto) FaibleStrong Bain St-Michel Regroupement des crateurs de St-Viateur Est Les ateliers Quartier Gnral WeakAverageStrong Coalition pour lcole des Premires lettres La cooprative de solidarit Mile End Weak Strong Slide 16 CONCLUSION Generating a sustainable local development dynamic, the initiatives and projects undertaken in the Mile End, as well as those not analyzed in this paper but discussed in earlier texts are instructive with regard to sustainability in urban environments. In the case of the Mile End, the need to mobilize in response to an external project strengthened and made tangible the sense of belonging of the local actors and constituted an essential condition for the emergence of a common development vision. This context as well as the various changes and conflicts that took place on the territory then intensified the already existing dynamics of mobilization and learning. An intangible asset, this shared positive identity fostered the emergence and assertion of local forms of leadership and mobilized a rich socio-territorial capital consisting of the internal resources of the borough as well as a diverse range of external resources. The citizen engagement and the coordinating action of certain actors (SSE in particular) allowed for the emergence of more structured coalitions and governance bodies. Concertation between stakeholders facilitated the implementation of projects in favor of a sustainable local development.