The Burton, Kates and White model of community response to environmental change is used to study a rapidly developing suburb of Montreal. Between 1973 and 1988, 11 376 single family dwellings were built in the 'West Island'. A geographic information system (GIS) analysis shows 40 percent of vacant land was developed between 1983 and 1989, over half this was for low density housing. A study of citizens' perceptions of the changes shows 72 percent of residents felt local environmental conditions were the same or better than when they first moved to the area (average 14 years) and 71 percent felt the quality of the community was the same or better. The condition of wooded areas was the largest determinant of perception of local environmental conditions and "friendliness" was most closely related to evaluations of community quality. A history of environmental activism describes a sector of the population as having crossed a "threshold of tolerance" and taken action to protect valued natural assets of the community.

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