Catching up with Quel Avenir

Quel Avenir’s Monday blogger Jean-Claude Poitras has some interesting points – I like his observation that there are three superb churches along Saint-Alexandre yet all are surrounded by open-air parking lots (although, on the other hand, the churches probably need the revenue).

I’m less keen on the urge Poitras expresses to create an iconic symbol for the city. I suspect it’s subconscious Eiffel Tower envy although he namechecks Sydney and Bilbao. The urge for that kind of structure is, at heart, branding.

QA’s other recent pieces have tackled the transit funding issue from various angles: make drivers pay for the distance they drive, make businesses chip in, and – for argument’s sake – what would happen if users had to pay a lot more.