Montreal Auto Show - 44th Edition

Montreal International Auto Show 2012

What do you look for when you are buying a car: the look of the car, the technical specifications, or both? Although technical specification are very important, a car with a poor or unattractive design but great technical features would not sell all that well. The car's style is very important. The car salesmen know that well. They even place a beautiful model next to the car they are promoting.

At the present 44^th Montreal International Car Show, most visitors (and I took time to observe them)  admired first the look of the cars they approached or passed by. They seldom looked at the car specifications placed next to the cars. When they were interested in a car, they first looked it over from the outside. Then they opened the door and looked inside, then some climbed into the driver’s seat, and fewer still went to study the car's technical data.

It appears many visitors have already something specific in their minds, some specific models and makes they would like to check out. They look at those very thoroughly and check them inside out, they ask questionsm and read the technical specifications. The rest of the cars on display they simply admire, enjoying the sight of so many cars at the same spot, enjoying the glitter and the beauty of the design, the cars being candies to their eyes.

If you like cars, their shine, their power, their colours, the feel of the steering wheal, the comfort of the driver’s seat, and the new smell of the interior, as well as the cars’ new technical and design features, and the new gadgets that cars now come equipped with, then this show is definitely for you. It launches many new car models that you have not yet seen in the streets, and which you will have a perfect opportunity to experience for yourself. You will be able to climb behind the steering wheal and contemplate if a car is for you, and whether you should consider owning it. This show presents a unique hands-on opportunity to see many new models under the same roof, so you will not have to go to various dealerships to look for various car models and makes at some time in the future. This will not only save you time, but you will have an immediate satisfaction of being able to compare many different models and makes right on the spot, which makes it much easier to narrow down what you like and dislike, and what you would actually consider buying - all this just during a few hours of visiting the show in an informative and very enjoyable way.

But even if you are not considering buying a new car at the moment, seeing all the new models will teach you how to recognize those cars in the future when you will see them in a street. You will also learn about all the technical specifications which are displayed right next to a car, or presented an information leaflet that a representative will give you at the central information desk.

But many of you will go to the show without any immediate intentions of getting a new car but simply to enjoy what is on display, enjoy the look and feel of it, and enjoy your fantasy to own even a very expensive car. Why not! Go and indulge yourself…

I personally restrained myself from dreaming about the luxury and class of a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, or a Bentley. I was reticent to see myself in those, but was quite open to the idea of driving a Mercedes or a BMW.

For those of you who care about the environment and prefer to contemplate owning an electrical car, there are quite a number of them on display.

To conclude, my simple advice to you is: Go and experience this show!

  

Photos in order they appear in the text:

1. Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

2. KIA KV7 Concept

3. NISSAN Infiniti JX 2012 - Red Bull Racing

4. Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
5. Ford Electric Drive
6. MITSUBISHI MIEV Electric Drive
7. Mercedes-Benz Smart Fortwo Electric Drive
8. Mercedes-Benz Display Area

Visit the Montreal International Auto Show website for opening hours and admission.

Montreal Auto Show 2012

The 44^th edition of the Montreal’s International Auto Show opens on January 13 at 10 a.m. at Palais des Congres. The last day will be on January 22, 2012.

The very first such show was held in Montreal in 1969 and has right away become one of the most popular events in Montreal, avidly awaited by thousands of car lovers. This year’s show, spread over three floors, will once again delight the visitors with a great variety of new models as well as clever and innovative design, efficiency and performance features.

So mark your calendar, bring your friends and the whole family, and indulge your sight and senses in seeing so many desirable cars under one roof.

Find photos and videos of the last year's show here. 

You can also watch videos on YouTube here.

For general Information about the annual Montreal International Auto Show click here.

Montreal's New Metro Trains

  
Montreal's New Metro Trains

STM - Société de transport de Montréal - Montreal Transit Corporation 
unveils the model of its next generation of metro cars MPM-10, scheduled to start replacing those in use presently in year 2014. The new metro train configuration will be that of a “boa” type train with individual cars interconnected by fully enclosed walk-through passages constructed from caoutchouc. This will ensure full inner circulation through all the train’s cars. The total length of the train will consists of 9 cars.

The new metro train will have greater safety features. It will be a smoother and a more comfortable ride for passengers, due to the air-suspension system. The cars will feature universal accessibility: reserved space for wheelchairs, fold-up seats for easier circulation, and spaces for strollers, bicycles and other equipment. In addition the  seats will be ergonomically designed.

For more information view the following video:

The STM Strategic Plan 2020 in 20 minutes.mov

The same video is also presented on this STM website along with the written English verbatim translation.

ECOCITY: Edible Campus

Montreal: McGill University

The project on the McGill University campus is organized by Sentropol Roulant, the non-profit organization mentioned in the article - post below. Sentropol Roulant use the produce for their meals-on-wheals service. The vegetables grown on the campus grounds become part of the landscaping, a point of attraction. This edible growth changes the austere scenery of the surrounding concrete and the monotony of the uniformly cut grass.

Montreal: UQAM

The grounds where the food is grown at the university UQAM are more tranquil than the open spaces of the McGill University. The production scale is also much smaller. Yet it presents an oasis of vegetation that one seldom sees in a mega-city's downtown.

 

     

 

Also notice the discreet placement of composting bins.

 

ECOCITY: Urban Agriculture

ECOCITY
Urban Agriculture - Rooftop Farming

Growing food locally is becoming not only fashionable but to a certain degree indispensable, considering the sustainability issues. If you live in the city, the local growing might mean cultivating food on the rooftop of your building. The advantages are: it reduces the heat inside the building in the summer, it contributes to the greening of the city, it eliminates the long distances of food transportation, it reduces or even eliminates the transportation costs, and it greatly reduces any food production and storage waste. An excellent documentary Taste the Waste has just released at the Montreal World Film Festival on the amount of food wasted during production transportation, retailing and as leftovers. See my article about this documentary film in my blog News Real.

Here are some note-worthy examples of rooftop farming:

Montreal: Palais des congrès de Montréal

The edible garden on the roof of the Palais des congrès was conceived by the Montreal Urban Ecology Center. Unfortunately, the center has not yet written about this project on their website. 

This Culti-Vert project received funding from the Canadian Ministry of Health's Climate Change Action Plan that includes a section for reducing the negative health impacts of urban heat islands.

One of the participants in the project is Crudessence. They specialize in raw vegan cuisine. They grow on the rooftop of the Palais des congrés the fresh produce for their Montreal restaurants. Here is a video about Crudessence involvement in this project.

Jardins sur les toits du Palais des congrés

I am not really sure why the growing of the produce for the Crudessence restaurants should be subsidized, at least partially, by Canadian Ministry of Health, since Crudessence is not a non-profit organization, and the prices in their restaurants are not low, but I guess their part in greening of the Montreal rooftops somehow qualifies them for the taxpayers' help.

Montreal: Santropol Roulant

Santropol Roulant is a non-profit organization who use the rooftop of their headquaters to grow produce for their meals-on-wheals service. They grow fresh vegetables in plastic containers, and also have a field like section, see photo below.

At the back of their rooftop field there are bee hives. This not only produces "urban" honey, but also helps to polinate the plants.

New York: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

This large warehouse rooftop farm in Brooklyn, NY does not only grow herbs and vegetables, but also chickens and rabbits. This is a successful example of urban agriculture on an impressive scale, in one of the most densely populated urban areas in North America.

New York City Rooftop Farm

ECOCITY World Summit 2011

ECOCITY World Summit 2011

The 9^th edition of the Ecocity world summit will take place August 22-26, 2011 in Montreal, Canada. Over 1,00 participants representing more than 70 countries will attend.

The conference will have 6 interconnecting themes: 

Climate Change and the ecocity

Ecomobility, Urban Planning, Public Space

Governance and Democracy in the Ecocity

Economics of the Ecocity

Health and the Built Environment

Biodiversity and Urban Agriculture

There will be also 6 conference tracks

Conference Tracks

1. Northern climate cities: Ecocity policy, planning and design

2. Re-building better in Haiti and other post-disaster zones

3. Ecocity Montréal

4. Community engagement/citizen and youth participation

5. Measuring ecocity progress: indicators, standards and best practices

6. Cleantech for Ecocities

A number of exibitors will showcase technologies and innovations related to urban ecology, as well as special innovative initiatives.

Here is the link to the Ecocity website.