The Impact of the Urban Form on the Spatial Distribution of Commercial Activities in Montréal Julie Villain A Thesis in The Department of Geography, Planning, and Environment Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Of Master‟s of Science (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies) Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada July, 2011 ©Julie Villain, 2011 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Julie Villain Entitled: The Impact of the Urban Form on the Spatial Distribution of Commercial Activities in Montréal and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master‟s of Science (M.SC) in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: Dr. D. Matthews ______________ Chair Prof. J. Zacharias ______________ Examiner Prof. L. Bornstein ______________ Examiner Dr. P. Gauthier ______________ Supervisor Approved by _____________________________________________ Chair of Department or Graduate Program Director ________________________________________________ Dean of Faculty Date ________________________________________________ ABSTRACT The Impact of the Urban Form on the Spatial Distribution of Commercial Activities in Montréal Julie Villain This thesis investigates Montréal‟s commercial arteries through a morphological analysis. The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of spatial determinants pertaining to street permeability and street centrality on the nature and spatial distribution of retail activities along a commercial artery. This study develops a typology of commercial streets combining both commercial and morphological characteristics. A first analysis is performed at the global level, highlighting the existence of a relationship between the urban form and the nature of commercial offer. A similar analysis is then carried out on a finer scale, focusing on internal street segments, and reveals the presence of regularities in the spatial distribution pattern of commercial activities, convenience retail in particular. This research provides a better understanding of how commercial streets function within our cities by emphasizing the significance of the built environment and the spatial structure to explain local commercial streets‟ underlying dynamics. Furthermore, the results contrast with recent commercial revitalization strategies that focus on economic (commercial mix), physical (urban design) and social (consumers‟ habits) considerations to ameliorate the local commercial environment and address urban sustainability issues. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mes plus sincères remerciements s‟adressent tout d‟abord à mon directeur de recherche, P. Gauthier. Sa confiance, sa disponibilité et son enthousiasme ont sans aucun doute pleinement contribué à la réalisation de ce projet. Je tiens également à souligner sa générosité à partager son expérience et sa passion pour une discipline nouvelle qu‟était pour moi la morphologie urbaine. À travers cette recherche, j‟espère réussir à faire partager tout le plaisir que j‟ai eu de travailler sous sa direction. Je tiens ensuite à remercier et saluer ma famille pour leur entière confiance et leur soutien quotidien, et ce malgré la distance. Je les remercie de m‟avoir laissée saisir cette opportunité et d‟avoir cru en mes capacités à relever ce défi. Mes pensées se tournent également vers l‟ensemble des mes ami(e)s, à Montréal et ailleurs, sans qui cette expérience aurait été bien différente. Je leur suis profondément reconnaissante de leur soutien, leur écoute, leur curiosité, ainsi que de leur compréhension à l‟égard de mes nombreux moments d‟asociabilité… Enfin, je tiens à remercier l‟ensemble du département de géographie de Concordia. Le 12ème étage a en quelques sortes été ma seconde maison au cours de ces deux dernières années… Je me dois donc d‟attirer l‟attention sur la disponibilité et la convivialité offerte par les professeurs et autres personnes dédiées au bon déroulement de ce programme. Il me reste à mentionner l‟ensemble des étudiants de maîtrise dont certains sont devenus de proches amis, ou colocataires. Je leur souhaite toute la réussite possible dans la poursuite de leurs projets. Un dernier remerciement s‟addresse au projet d‟Alliance de recherche Université-Communauté (ARUC) – Mégaprojets au service des communautés – qui a, de par son soutien financier, contribué à la réalisation de cette étude. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... XIII LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................. XVI CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH CONTEXT – MONTRÉAL AS A CASE STUDY ....................................... 1 RESEARCH RATIONALE ........................................................................................... 4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES ......................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 9 THE EVOLVING PATTERN OF URBAN RETAILING .................................................. 9 The Hierarchical Model of Urban Retailing .............................................................. 9 Typology of retail configurations ............................................................................12 THE CHANGING MAIN STREET ...............................................................................18 Decline and Resurgence of the Main Street ...........................................................19 Revitalizing Main Street .........................................................................................22 CLASSIFICATION OF CONSUMER GOODS AND RETAIL OUTLETS .......................26 Classification of Retail Goods ................................................................................26 Classification of Retail Outlets and / or Retail Areas ..............................................30 MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS .................................................................................31 The Study of the Urban Form .................................................................................31 Theoretical Framework of Morphological Analysis .................................................33 Morphological Analysis of Commercial Streets ......................................................37 URBAN FORM AND TRAVEL BEHAVIOR .................................................................44 v New Urbanism, Neo Traditional Development, and Transportation Benefits ..........45 Selected spatial characteristics and their impact on travel behavior .......................48 Urban Form and Travel Behavior: A relationship that remains unclear, complex and ambiguous. ............................................................................................................55 CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................56 CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................59 PURPOSE .................................................................................................................59 DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................................59 Selecting a sample of commercial streets, Sherlock Database, City of Montréal. ...59 Census of Commercial Establishments, REEM 2000. ............................................62 DATA PREPARATION ...............................................................................................63 Commercial Offer Typology ...................................................................................63 Spatial Data Preparation ........................................................................................67 CHAPTER 4 – RESULTS ..............................................................................................71 INTRODUCTION: COMMERCIAL STREETS TYPOLOGY ........................................71 CHAPTER 4-1. GLOBAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMERCIAL SREETS ..........84 CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMERCIAL OFFER ....................................................84 Predominant Category of Commercial Offer: Convenience vs. Specialized Retail Oriented Streets.....................................................................................................84 Average Retail Density ..........................................................................................92 MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION ............................................................ 104 Street Permeability .............................................................................................. 104 Relative Position .................................................................................................. 110 CROSS-ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL CHARACTERISTICS .......................................... 116 vi Relationship between the Commercial Offer and the level of Permeability ........... 116 Relationship between the Commercial Offer and the Relative Position