Justin Bur chose to live in Montreal 30 years ago to benefit from its vibrant mix of cultures, finding life much more interesting in two languages than just one. His lifelong fascination with the workings of cities and their transportation systems led him to obtain a master's degree in urban planning from Université de Montréal in 1994. Since then, he has further explored numerous topics in the history of Montreal's urban development, including the 200 years of evolution of the Mile End neighborhood; Saint-Laurent Boulevard, from country houses to a lively multicultural microcosm of the city; and the development of Montreal's road, rail and public transit networks. He has been active since 2007 with two local historical societies, the
Friends of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Mile End Memories, for which he has led numerous walking tours and lectured and written on neighborhood history. His goal has always been to understand the present state of the city through an exploration of its past – combining approaches from history, geography, and urban planning – in order to tell true stories about the evolution of his favorite places.