East Shoreline

East Shoreline, 2023, Quebec, QC

TypeTerritory

LocationQuebec, QC

Year2023

TeamAtelier L'Abri

CollaboratorsGhost, Le Picbois, Écoterritoire

ClientCommission de la capitale nationale du Québec

This urban design project is the winning proposal of the Littoral Est international competition. It reimagines an 8 km stretch of Quebec City's St. Lawrence East Shoreline, which is currently fragmented by a highway that limits local access to the water.

The project aims to restore the dialogue between the city and the coastline by enhancing both natural and anthropogenic environments, through the creation of a continuous network of waterfront public spaces. Drawing inspiration from the subtle identity of the mudflats, this large linear park focuses on gentle interventions and the optimization of existing infrastructure. The proposal envisions a transition from a landscape significantly altered by human activity (which has impacted its diversity, specificity, and resilience) to the construction of a new identity linked to ecological dimensions.

In continuity with the evolving nature of the river, the artificial land gradually gives way to the dynamic movement of the water. This long temporal scale adds to those of the seasons and tides, inviting a continual reinterpretation and rediscovery of the experience of the riverbanks.

A territory once dominated by landfill and highway embankments, the existing infrastructure is partially dismantled to better connect the urban living environments to the river both physically and visually. The Dufferin-Montmorency highway, barrier that fragments the territory, is transformed into an urban boulevard that highlights the core lines of the coastal landscape. This new axis ensures improved accessibility and safety to the waterfront, while the residual linear footprint of the old highway creates a new public life along the water's edge.