Project Management

Snaring Daniel Sanger’s attention requires comfortable boots, as his preferred hangout is ambulatory: the streets of Plateau-Mont-Royal, a densely populated stretch of century-old row houses three kilometres north of downtown Montreal. A storied immigrant quarter, now largely gentrified, the Plateau’s mix of music, gaming, and tech has made it one of North America’s hippest ­neighbourhoods. Saving the City offers both an insider account of how the area is gaining international recognition as a leader in urban redesign and a ­compelling primer on the inner workings of Montreal ­politics.

Sanger treads his turf with pride and purpose, as I learned on a recent walk with him (12,842 steps). This excursion netted an introduction to one of the borough’s new councillors (Marie Sterlin), a sighting of the federal environment minister (Steven Guilbeault), and a lengthy account of the controversial reconstruction of Théâtre de Verdure, in Parc La...