Expérimentation et légitimation de l’innovation en urbanisme : le cas de la piétonnisation à Montréal

Abstract

This article focuses on the legitimisation process of innovations in urbanism. By examining the institutionalisation trajectory—namely, the emergence, dissemination, and adoption of innovations—the objective is to reveal the contribution of experimentation to legitimising new urbanism practices over time. Defining legitimacy as a social construct rather than as an established fact, this article draws on the field of institutionalism to understand the processes of change. Legitimation is linked to the evolution of actors' capacities as well as to collective thinking concerning practices deemed acceptable or conceivable. The case study focuses on pedestrianisation in Montreal, an urbanism practice that was almost non-existent before 2006 but has since gained prominence. The diachronic analysis, based mainly on a literature review and a press review, highlights the role of municipal and economic actors in implementing pioneering pedestrianisation projects. It also highlights the use of temporary urbanism as an experimentation approach, which facilitated the adoption of pedestrianisation as an innovative practice. These results highlight the importance of experimentation in the process of legitimising change and supporting and adapting urbanism innovations with regard to the local context.

Keywords

• Montreal
• legitimacy
• experimentation
• temporary urbanism
• pedestrianization