In downtown Montreal, there is a neighborhood called Griffintown. The area was heavily populated from the 1820′s through the 1960′s. Irish immigrants began coming to this area of Montreal during the great Potato Famine, fleeing Ireland in an attempt at a great life. It is still a heavily Irish population today, however over the years the neighborhood has fallen into disrepair. Independent film maker, Michel Regnier made a documentary on Griffintown in 1972. And in 2003, another filmmaker by the name of William Street, made the movie, Ghosts of Griffintown . The Griffintown Project was created by Lisa Gasior, in an attempt to get the interest of the public focused on a revitalization project for this neighborhood. At one time, there were many beautiful buildings, offices, shops and beautiful options for rental space . And now, this project has become a ten figure renovation project to bring the life back into the neglected neighborhood. This is starting with the redesign of the natural landscape, of the parks along the Lachine Canal, and of the football and soccer fields, and the gardens. The city planners are also taking note of the infrastructure, aspects of the neighborhood such as drainage issues and the condition of the roads are being addressed. They are also including a section of the project which will result in the construction of many more options for mixed residential living options . Most neighborhoods in need of revitalization, find that it comes naturally when the artists come to town. Artists move in because of the cheap living expenses and within a few years, everyone wants to live there. In the case of Griffintown , the planners are forcing this situation by building specifically, artist loft and studio spaces, as well as creating spaces designed to be galleries. With this kind of foresight,Griffintown has a chance now, of rising from the ashes and of becoming a brand new neighborhood.

Montreal’s “Save Griffintown!” Project is a post from: Truck Rest

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One of the many wonderful things about big, cosmopolitan cities, is the diversity that is just so illustrated each time you step into one of the different neighborhoods. In New York City, although there is still the all encompassing feeling of being in New York, it feels just a bit different depending on whether you are standing in the middle of Koreatown or Little Italy. This is the case in the Canadian city of Toronto . I had gone to visit a friend of mine who had just found a great apartment to rent , a loft actually, in downtown Toronto, and day we spent the entire afternoon and well into the evening just walking around the neighborhood, stopping for a bit to eat here and there. The neighborhood, I found out, is involved in a Canadian program called the Business Improvement Association . One of the largest in the entire city of Toronto. This means that what you intuitively feel when you are spending time there, is real. It is made up of the business owners in the neighborhood. They do not compete for business, they come together and brainstorm about ways in which to improve business for everyone. They pool their financial resources in order to make certain that the streets and buildings and parks are attractive and well cared for, making their neighborhood a great place to be overall. They want Greektown to be a fun and a great place, to shop, to go out for dinner, to play ball in the park, and to go to the theatre. This is one of the largest Greektown neighborhoods in all of North America, and is the one with the largest population of Greek people, second only to the country of Greece. So it is no wonder that there are of course many Greek bakeries, lounges, cafes and stores located here. It was a marvelous first day in Canada for me, just a great introduction to a great city.

Spending Time in Toronto’s Greektown Neighborhood is a post from: Truck Rest

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