Montreal waterfront plan to feature swimming area in Old Port
City also unveils plans to renaturalize rivers and improve access to Rivière des Prairies
Mayor Denis Coderre has unveiled the city’s waterfront plan, which includes Copenhagen-inspired swimming areas in the Old Port.
The swimming area at the Clock Tower, one of the highlights of Montreal’s waterfront plan, takes inspiration from the urban beaches in Copenhagen, New York, Berlin and London.
It's not clear exactly what the Montreal version would look like, but options include a floating barge along the waterfront with a chlorinated swimming pool, or a less expensive version would be a swimming enclosure in the river, that protects swimmers from the current.
Right now, the top choice for location is at the Old Port's Clock Tower beach.
Coderre unveiled several other programs as a part of Montreal's waterfront plan, including:
- New beaches in Verdun and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles.
- A program aimed at improving access to the Rivière des Prairies.
- A program to help support local initiatives aimed at outdoor activities.
- Renaturalization of the rivers, collection of runoff and focus on green infrastructure.
The work is expected to be completed by 2017 for the city’s 375th anniversary.