Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

The features you are describing about Chinatown Square seem well-suited to the context, as evidenced by the reception it has received from the surrounding community you have described. I myself don’t know the history of the site so I don’t know whether or how traffic flows were reconfigured in the course of designing it. Walker is commenting on Robson Square based on his perspective on what makes a reliable, convenient, legible and supportive multi-modal regional transit service. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that doesn’t seem to be a significant factor in the case you have cited — but please elaborate if I’m missing something.

You write,

Why does making it a “pedestrian zone” mean a bus, a BRT, or an LRT can make its way thru it?

I must admit I’m a little perplexed by your comment. Jarrett Walker’s point was that making it a pedestrian zone which doesn’t let transit go through would severely weaken the transit network as a whole; he didn’t imply that we should build a pedestrian zone where vehicles can go through. My personal opinion is that it might be an intriguing compromise, although of course there would have to be a lot of thought into how such a space would actually work.

I think (as I think Walker would too) that it’s important not to draw distinctions to sharply between pedestrians and transit users, given that they’re really just people, and transit users just happen to be standing or sitting inside a vehicle, and they will be pedestrians again once they disembark. As you say, making a cherished, meaningful place does not necessarily exclude providing a useful service.