The main purpose of the project was to restore the continuity of Montreal's downtown, broken by the gaping trench of the Ville-Marie Expressway since the 1960s, and thus to bridge the following areas: Other goals included the beautification of the built environment, creation of elegant city squares, showcase of Quebec design and public art, and stimulation of world-class real estate development at the heart of Montreal.

The completed area of 27 hectares (0.27 square kilometres or nearly 67 acres), 30% of which are in the public domain, spreads on an east–west axis above the Ville-Marie Expressway tunnels.

The Édifice Jacques-Parizeau is the Montreal regional office of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the main investment arm of the Quebec government.

Despite its strong architectural qualities, construction was marked by opposition to the huge cost overruns of an already very expensive structure, at the same time as the CDP was losing taxpayers' money from questionable investments made during the dot-com bubble.

Trees and benches were added, the statue of Queen Victoria was reinstated, and special care was given to Hector Guimard's Art Nouveau outdoor entrance to the Square-Victoria-OACI Metro station.

Place de la Cité internationale, northwest of Victoria Square, is a complex that currently consists of the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Clément Demers was responsible for overall project design, working with Consortium Daoust Lestage and Provencher, Roy et associés, with engineers Groupe conseil Genivar.

restaurant moved from its tiny Saint Denis Street location to the Centre CDP Capital on Place Jean-Paul Riopelle, putting the QIM on the international gastronomy map.

The district has become a prestigious address for real estate development, with upscale housing built and under construction totalling approximately 1000 units as of 2005.