PPU, PAE: what role do urban planning tools play in sustainable urban development in Quebec?

This contribution studies the role of two urban planning tools in sustainable urban development in Quebec. The analysis of a corpus of specific urban planning programs (PPU - which became specific urban planning plans in June 2023), comprehensive development plans (PAE) and interviews conducted in 2021-2022 with Quebec practitioners demonstrates a political desire to regain control over real estate development and highlights its main limitations: lack of precision of the prescriptions, poor transcription of these in the enforceable regulations, complexity of operational and legal implementation and lack of anticipation of land dynamics. PPU and PAE remain the tools of negotiated sustainable urban planning, which is certainly formalizing, but never really binding. This contribution examines the role of two regulatory urban planning tools in the sustainable urban development sector in Quebec (Canada). The analysis of a corpus of PPU and PAE and interviews conducted in 2021-2022 with Quebec practitioners demonstrate a political will to regain control over real estate development and highlights its main limitations: lack of precision in their prescriptions, poor transposition into enforceable regulations, complexity of operational and legal implementation, and lack of anticipation of land dynamics. PPU and PAE remain the tools of a negotiated sustainable urbanism, admittedly coercive, but never really restrictive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]