THE INTEGRATED TERRITORIAL APPROACH AND PRIORITY INTERVENTION ZONES. Montréal’s 27 boroughs generally offer a supply of varied, quality housing, and a range of services and community facilities that respond to citizens’ needs. The latter enjoy easy access to different economic centres and employment, and most are well served by public transit. However, some parts of the City have less attractive neighbourhoods where social exclusion, poverty and a general deterioration of the surroundings have set in. With its extensive knowledge of the Montréal area and its social and urban challenges, the City has identified zones that require specific, complementary efforts to improve urban planning and housing, public facilities, social development, education and employment. These zones are characterized by a high percentage of people living alone, single-parent families, and houses with incomes far below the Montréal average. Unemployment rates are higher and many residents do not have a high-school leaving certificate. Property values are lower than elsewhere on the Island, reflecting the low quality of the urban setting and residential buildings. For a description of these zones, see Appendix 2 of the present Contract. The Government and City agree that most revitalization initiatives need to be directed toward these priority intervention zones and adapted to each specific context. To a lesser degree, actions could be taken outside the priority zones, to respond to more specific problems on a much smaller scale. These areas are identified as micro-zones on the map included in the appendix. In addition, certain actions must be taken throughout the Montréal area to address general problems such as affordable housing, the recycling of abandoned buildings, immigrant adjustment services, and support to people living alone. Such initiatives, carried out on a broad scale, will also have a significant impact on targeted revitalization zones, and could prevent other neighbourhoods from deteriorating in a similar way. The Government and City also agree on the need to coordinate actions taken in these zones by setting up a multisectoral, integrated approach. The commitment of government departments and municipal departments to ensure greater coordination and convergence will be crucial. Moreover, since the municipal administration is the authority that can most effectively and rapidly respond to residents’ needs, the Government agrees to decentralize some of its programs and to decompartmentalize certain budgets. The Government will continue it...
