Welcome!

 

The NiSaT society welcomes you to

​Notes from the

Desire Paths,

​an interactive walk in the

Montreal Hippodrome

on May 9th 2013, 6.30-8.30pm

 

Desire Paths are trails created when people choose expedient or otherwise preferred routes, independent of the sidewalks or roadways provided for them. They are the evidence that  sometimes we can go where we want to, and that wandering may lead to surprising discoveries.



We invite you to traverse this urban abandonment space with us.  Bring your locative device (e.g. smartphone, notepad), and look for the life-size red map pins in various locations at the Hippodrome site.



Relevant data will be pre-loaded at the Differential Mobilities conference (see 7scenes tab). For access, please see the ​directions tab. The site walk is intended to collect interactive data from participants for a future exhibit.  Wear sturdy shoes and be sure to take care while exploring (aka: use at your own risk).



​The Montréal Hippodrome is the former site of the Blue Bonnets Raceway.  Closed in 2009, Blue Bonnets was a betting arena for thoroughbred and harness racing for over 100 years. Blue Bonnets was named after the 77th Highland Regiment, who fought in the 1760 Battle of Montréal, and were known for their distinctive hats. Since 2009, the site has been used for rock concerts (including U2 in 2011), dog walking and off-site storage for several city hospitals.

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A 43.5-hectare tract of currently “vacant” land, the Hippodrome is going to become a sustainable housing development, with 5000-8000 residential units planned, in a few years. To find out more about the planning process, visit Projet Hippodrome at 

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