Draft:Green alley
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A green alley or green alleyway is an alley that has been converted to add vegetation and reduce the total paved area. Advocates of green alleys claim that they alleviate flooding, reduce the urban heat island effect, increase biodiversity, and contribute to a sense of community.[1] Since the first green alley was inaugurated in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough of Montreal in 1997, the concept has spread to a number of other North American cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles[2], Washington D.C.[3], and Baltimore, where it is known as the “Blue Alley Program”.[4]
History
[edit]The first attempt at a green alleyway project originated in Montreal in 1968. Residents of the Mile-End neighbourhood endeavoured to renovate rue Demers, which was captured by the National Film Board in the documentary Les fleurs c'est pour Rosemont. Although the project failed, the idea persisted, and the area is today part of Montreal's Green Alleys Program.[5] The idea returned under mayor Jean Drapeau in the 1980s with operation Place au Soleil ("place in the sun"), and in 1995, the first green alley would be implemented in Montreal, along with the establishment of Éco-Quartier organisations.[6] In 2001, the city of Chicago began looking into green alleys to relieve pressure on the city's ageing sewer system. Four pilot alleyways were funded in 2001, and in 2006, Chicago established a Green Alleys Program.[7] From Chicago, the concept spread rapidly to other American cities: Baltimore established its own program in 2007, Los Angeles in 2008, Seattle in 2010, and Washington D.C. in 2011.[4]
Techniques and Objectives
[edit]Green alleys can be constructed to serve a variety of purposes. In cities prone to flooding, permeable pavements may be installed to control stormwater runoff. High-albedo pavements or surrounding vegetation can help in reducing the urban heat island effect, as well as improving air quality. Alleys may also be retrofitted to serve other objectives, such as reducing waste or light pollution.[8] A network of green alleys can form a "green corridor", improving the connectivity of isolated urban green spaces and therefore augmenting biodiversity. Reducing noise pollution and playing a role in urban beautification are other claimed benefits of green alleys. Certain green alleys can be closed completely to cars, which improves local air quality and provides spaces for children to play in dense urban environments, although this is less common.[6]
Examples
[edit]Montreal
[edit]
The implementation of Montreal's Green Alleys Program (French: Programme des Ruelles Vertes) is based on the principle of community participation. Residents must propose a location for a green alley to the city, and are in turn responsible for its maintenance. This has led to an uneven spatial distribution of green alleys throughout the city. Geographer Emma Ezvan has alleged a bias towards "good" applicants - those with higher incomes, higher levels of education, young children, and who are more likely to be fluent in an official language. This has led to a phenomenon of green gentrification, where environmental improvements can lead to displacement of residents through a rise in property values.[9] In winter, alleys can be transformed into spaces for skating or other activities through the creation of "white alleys". Although the primary purpose of green alleys is to provide a community space for local residents, a number of alleyways created under the program have been noted for their aesthetic beauty and have become prominent tourist attractions.[10][11]
Chicago
[edit]The main objective of green alleys has been to improve Chicago's resilience to climate change-induced flooding. Chicago has the largest and best-developed network of green alleys in the United States, and the publication by the Chicago Department of Transportation of a Green Alley Handbook has been cited as influential in modern American urban design.[4] Green alley construction has been concentrated in affluent wards of Chicago least prone to flooding, leading to criticism from aldermen representing wards in the historically-impoverished South and West Side.[7]
See Also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Pourquoi une ruelle verte" (French) from Ruelles Vertes de Montréal.
- ^ Green Alleys - Our Work from Trust for Public Land
- ^ Green Alley Projects from District Department of Transportation.
- ^ a b c Joshua P. Newell, Mona Seymour, Thomas Yee, Jennifer Renteria, Travis Longcore, Jennifer R. Wolch, Anne Shishkovsky, Green Alley Programs: Planning for a sustainable urban infrastructure?, Cities, Volume 31, 2013, Pages 144-155, ISSN 0264-2751, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2012.07.004. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275112001229)
- ^ Perreault, Catherine. “La Rue Demers, Parmi Les plus Belles Rues de Montréal - ONF/Blogue.” Lire ONF, 26 Jan. 2011, blogue.onf.ca/blogue/2011/01/26/la-rue-demers-40-ans-plus-tard/. (French) Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
- ^ a b "LES PROGRAMMES LOCAUX D’IMPLANTATION DE RUELLES VERTES À MONTRÉAL" (French) from Éco-quartiers.
- ^ a b Nitikin, Alex . ““Green Alleys” Help Prevent Flooding, but Vulnerable Neighborhoods Must Wait in Line.” Block Club Chicago, 18 Apr. 2024, blockclubchicago.org/2024/04/18/green-alleys-help-prevent-flooding-but-vulnerable-neighborhoods-must-wait-in-line/.
- ^ The Chicago Green Alley Handbook from the Chicago Department of Transportation.
- ^ Emma Ezvan (31 Jul 2025): Green alleys in Montreal: tensions between gentrification and environmental justice, Urban Geography, DOI: 10.1080/02723638.2025.2536237
- ^ Freehill-Maye, Lynn. “Montreal’s Green Alleyways Take Visitors Backstage.” The New York Times, 27 Oct. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/travel/montreal-green-alleyways-take-visitors-backstage.html.
- ^ Lundy, Thomas. “Lose Yourself in Montreal: The City of 100 Alleys.” Canadiangeographic.ca, Canadian Geographic, 28 May 2021, canadiangeographic.ca/articles/lose-yourself-in-montreal-the-city-of-100-alleys/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.