Inaugurated in the fall of 2024, Parc des Gorilles honours a citizen movement that began in 2013, without which this new park would not have come to life. The park’s name evokes the idea of survival in a ”jungle-like” environment and the design of this new urban space is highly unconventional: a diagonal strip of land cutting through the backyards of former industrial buildings, serving as a reminder of Montreal’s early rail network, which remains ingrained in collective memory. Some of the abandoned rights-of-way, once occupied by railroad tracks, were eventually reclaimed by spontaneous vegetation, as was the case at Parc des Gorilles. After an illegal clearing of the vegetation, the site was expropriated by the city in 2017 and designated as the future park. The group AmiEs du Parc des Gorilles was officially recognized by the City of Montreal as the community’s representative and played an active part in a the co-design process. Today, residents can enjoy strolling along the former railway line, pausing to admire the micro-forests and the “lost railway car,” or participating in activities at the agora or on the sawtooth terrace. These built landmarks honor the site’s industrial history.
