Le Plateau-Mont-Royal (French pronunciation: [lə plato mɔ̃ ʁwajal]) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, across its southern border.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression slowed construction in the district, although some work resulted in the funding for the landscaping of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park.
The Université de Montréal moved to the northern slope of Mount Royal in 1943, resulting in the relocation of both the English and French bourgeoisie to this neighbourhood.
Greek Canadians set up many businesses in the decades that followed, particularly along Park Avenue and contributed to the local art of baking and pastry.
The neighbourhood continues to gentrify, and it is now home to many upscale restaurants and nightclubs, and several trendy clothing stores are located along Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Denis Street.
[13] The neighbourhood was the childhood home of Quebec writers Michel Tremblay and Mordecai Richler and both have set many stories in the Plateau of the 1950s and 60s.
Although the Eastern part is still largely Québécois, the Plateau (now nicknamed "La Nouvelle-France") is emerging as a French enclave of those fleeing Paris' transitioning cultural climate.
[14] The Plateau is characterized by brightly coloured houses, cafés, book shops, and a laissez-faire attitude that embraces its bohemian nature over the commercialized hipster culture of its Mile-End counterpart.
In the 21st century, the large number of French-born residents of the neighbourhood has earned it the nicknames of "le Petit-Paris"[18] and "la Petite-France".
McGill University maintains a significant presence in the borough, including four residence halls, Presbyterian College and the Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive Learning.
[21] Overlooked by the eastern face of Mount Royal, the borough is served by part of the orange line of the Montreal metro, including Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal, and Laurier stations.
The reconstruction of intersections now usually involves constructing road-diets (where vehicular traffic space has been reduced) in favour of wider sidewalks and large naturalised areas with grasses, flowers and other indigenous plant species.
The renaturalisation of some alleyways has been realised through the removal of asphalt or concrete along the edge of property lines for soil; local residents can plant whatever they choose.
Many streets underwent one-directional reassignments, to the irritation of local and visiting motorists; Ferrandez has faced criticism for what some feel to be drastic changes.