Greening the alleys: Socio-spatial distribution and characteristics of green alleys in Montréal

Abstract

Green alley programs, increasingly promoted by cities in North America, generally aim at transforming alleys into green infrastructure, ensuring ecosystem services, enhancing road safety and allowing appropriation by local residents. Yet, there is a dearth of fine-grained research on locational patterns and characteristics of green alleys. We seek to assess the outcomes of a green alley program in the City of Montréal (Canada), by examining the socio-spatial distribution of green alleys, their most common features, and their scores (measured by summing the number of features). We used the 2016 census data at the dissemination area level and evaluated 341 green alleys (summer 2020) by a grid composed of 45 items. Green alleys in Montréal are more present in areas with middle to high density, middle income, more younger people, and lower percentages of couples with children. They are less present in areas with more recent immigrants and visible minorities. The most common features are related to greening and road safety, while water management was the least common even if it was the most important from a program standpoint. After controlling for alleys’ morphology, the score of green alleys was significantly higher in alleys receiving a second phase of improvement. Private parking in backyards also strongly dictates the score of green alleys. Finally, boroughs are significant in explaining the distribution and score of green alleys, pointing to variations in coordination within the City’s program. Our results help identify strategies to plan and design green infrastructure in an equitable and sustainable way.