The American dream and its suburbs as far as the eye can see give nightmares to the planet. Science says it again: drive-throughs and the continual expansion of cities are driving the climate straight into the wall. A wind coming from the west coast, however, is blowing a new model of urban planning to Quebec, where a first neighborhood openly opposed to every man for himself is about to see the light of day in Sherbrooke.
The concept has a name: pocket quarter, or pocket neighborhoods. His cardinal idea? A residential complex must no longer be content to house individuals, but serve as a nest where communities come to form. Oust, therefore, fenced yards and individual parking lots that atomize everyone. The pocket neighborhoods, on the contrary, are deployed so that meetings between neighbors are daily, almost inevitable.
In this model born in the mid-1990s on the American west coast, between 8 and 12 houses form a cluster arranged around a common ground. The facades must necessarily overlook this shared space which makes the heart of the small community beat.
Each house also has a porch, a kind of transitional place between the private and common space, in front of which spreads out a small personal courtyard open to the shared park. This is where the children play, where picnics are organized and where the neighbors chat, far from the asphalt and the comings and goings of cars.
“Today, neighborhoods revolve around streets, and backyards represent individual havens where everyone finds refuge from a life of madness,” explains the To have to Ross Chapin, the architect behind the pocket neighborhoods. Our modern era is all about independence, but that goes against our human nature. I am convinced that we need socialization. »
At table !
The quarter pocket is inspired by a simple and everyday idea: the meal. “When you sit around a table to eat, you inevitably end up talking to your neighbors and building relationships with them, analyzes the architect. My model reproduces this phenomenon, but on an urban scale. The houses gravitate around a shared space, where conversations arise and where bonds are woven. »
This urbanism rows against the tide of the dominant development model, where a developer buys land, carves it up into lots, rolls out streets and hangs houses on each side. In these neighborhoods, everyone lives side by side, master of their kingdom, but isolated from the others. Encounters are rare, deplores Ross Chapin, since it is enough to walk a few meters to reach the car parked in the entrance – when it does not have its own “room”, the garage, which allows the motorist to leave his home without even having to step outside.
“The relationships we have, we develop them through informal conversations,” believes Ross Chapin. Its quarters of pocket aim precisely to multiply them. The parking lots are deliberately offset to force people to walk before they can reach them. Homes are also smaller, as science proves that people who live in larger homes tend to spend more time indoors.
“My philosophy,” Mr. Chapin says, “comes down to this: a life lived in smaller is a fuller life. The community spirit that prevails in pocket neighborhoods discourages everyone for themselves and encourages the collectivization of services. Gone are the neighborhoods where everyone has their own swimming pool, mower, snowblower, backyard shed, guest bedroom, etc.
“Why not have a swimming pool, but for the whole neighborhood, or a second home accessible to everyone when the visit arrives? Ross Chapin asks. Pooling facilities promotes community well-being while lowering individual costs. Everyone comes out a winner. »
A first in Quebec
A first district designed according to the precepts of Ross Chapin should see the light of day in 2023 in Quebec. Le Petit Quartier, a cooperative located near downtown Sherbrooke, will consist of 73 small houses, all arranged around common areas. The cars will occupy the backstage and will have to enter the 108 parking spaces provided for the district. A 5.6-hectare protected woodland will provide walking trails — and a connection to nature — for residents. Living together will focus on the sharing of goods, places and responsibilities.
“It’s a new model expected everywhere in Quebec, says Maryse Goddard, project manager at the Federation of Housing Cooperatives of Estrie (FCHE). A foundation will remain owner of the funds of land, it will give a right of use of the houses to the cooperative which, it, will resell the usufruct of the houses to the members. »
Dreamed of since 2016, the Petit Quartier must begin to take shape when the thaw and deliver its first houses in time for Christmas 2023. at the door” to hear the start of the project and embark on the adventure.
The Mayor of Sherbrooke salutes the citizens’ initiative behind the Petit Quartier. “We have to stop building lot by lot to start building neighborhood by neighborhood, thinking about the whole living environment,” says Évelyne Beaudin. It drives me crazy to see that, in my street of bungalows, everyone has a mower, everyone has a snowblower, everyone has a car, which sleeps most of the time in the driveway…”
Accessibility and dialogue
The gaze of many municipalities is now riveted on Sherbrooke, the city that is paving the way for the establishment of other similar neighborhoods elsewhere in Quebec. At a time when access to property is increasingly slipping away from the less fortunate, the Petit Quartier offers its houses at 75% of the market price.
“Here, it is not the ability to pay that will determine access to property; it’s the ability to live in community, emphasizes Maryse Goddard. Our members will diminish what they own individually, but they will own more collectively. They will choose to spend less time maintaining their possessions in order to spend more time maintaining their ties. »
Ross Chapin is delighted to see his idea take shape in Quebec. “It’s a project that is based on encounters, in a world where we have less and less the opportunity to experience it. Everyone can now connect to millions of people without even knowing their neighbor. This is dangerous for democracy, which relies on our ability to listen to and respect differing points of view. Our town planning must contribute to breaking isolation and creating dialogue. »