Following the adoption of its strategic plan in 2019, the Toronto Zoo sought to update its conceptual site plan based on the new directions identified. These include goals for sustainability, environmental conservation, and education. The strategic plan also aims to better integrate the Zoo into its urban environment. Momentum was part of the Mandaworks design team to provide recommendations for improving visitor mobility and operations.

Based on the mapping of the Zoo’s internal traffic movements, the Mandaworks and Momentum teams identified four broad categories of issues:

• Optimise the number of vehicles travelling within the site;
• Plan roads shared between operational vehicles and pedestrian visitors;
• Facilitate visitors’ wayfinding around the site without complicating the signage;
• Deploy multimodal solutions to navigate the site.

Momentum developed a mobility toolkit to help the Zoo better address the four major challenges. Objectives were identified for each challenge, and concrete actions were proposed to meet these objectives. Examples of inspiring projects carried out by zoos, urban parks, and botanical gardens in Canada and internationally were also provided to support the ideas

Through the acquisition of a new site near the Marché Bonsecours, PHI (which includes the PHI Centre and the PHI Foundation) aims to create a new hub dedicated to artistic and cultural creation, named PHI Contemporary. In partnership with L’Enclume, Momentum was commissioned to conduct a study on the local impact and potential of the site to inform the City of Montreal as well as international architects wishing to bid on its design.

The analysis was based on the current travel patterns of visitors and PHI Centre staff, as well as the PHI Centre’s delivery, waste collection, and parking, cycling, and vehicle equipment needs. The preliminary recommendations presented are based on best practices in mobility from here and elsewhere. An in-depth analysis of the future site’s mobility needs, including its integration into Ville-Marie’s highway and pedestrian network, future ridership patterns, and the necessary infrastructure, allowed for the determination of the potential of the Bonsecours site to promote sustainable transportation. The study also highlighted the cultural impact the future PHI Contemporary could have on the eastern part of Old Montreal, and the neighbouring cultural attractions.