Experimenting the Sustainability Transition in Montreal Laneways: The Nos milieux de vie ! Case Study

Abstract

Climate change results from persistent problems, the solving of which calls for innovative approaches. Transition experiments attempt to do just that. The goal of this paper is to present the experimentation project Nos milieux de vie !, carried out in Montreal by the non-profit organization Solon and the UQAM Research Chair on Sustainability Transitions, as well as to elucidate the results obtained during the first phases of the project and the methodological adaptations made over the course of the transition experiments. Our descriptions of the Nos milieux de vie ! project alongside a presentation of results achieved one year into the project have allowed us to identify four principal learnings concerning the crucial role of Solon as a mediator; the existence of diverse temporalities within the project; the importance of adapting to the demands and needs of participants; and the existence of social drivers of sustainability transitions.