This article looks at the territorial effects of the participatory turn in cultural policies. This turn is reinforced by the general evolution of governance models that attempt to include the increasingly assertive aspirations of citizens to take part in the various actions and decisions that concern them. We examine the case of the Saint-Michel neighbourhood in Montreal, where a communalist collective action is being set up, combined with an entrepreneurial action linked to the establishment of Cirque du Soleil in the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood is the scene of a revitalisation process that gives rise to a cultural commons. The case of Saint-Michel allows us to see the contribution of the communalist cultural approach to the improvement of neighbourhood living environments.