Here’s the Square! Council approves permanent plaza for 800-Robson

Congratulations Vancouver! You now have a new permanent plaza in the downtown.

A quick post to let you know that City Council has just approved the creation of a permanent plaza on the 800-block of Robson. This move will pedestrianize this popular block, expanding Robson Square across the street right-of-way, and allowing for year-round programming to take place.

This is very exciting news, and we want to thank Mayor, Council and City staff for supporting this idea. This new and enhanced space will make a big contribution to public life in Vancouver. As Lon Laclaire, the City’s Director of Transportation noted: “it will be the premier plaza on the downtown peninsula.”

Council heard from about a dozen speakers, including the VPSN, several business associations, and community groups, in a discussion that ran over several hours. A lot of issues were raised around design, programming, stewardship, and transportation. These are all things that the City will be looking at through a design process that will unfold over the next year or so. (City staff noted that there will be further consultation on that, so stay tuned for future opportunities to share your ideas.)

In the meantime, a toast to the new plaza! After many years of discussion, and some great summertime experiments, it’s great to see things move forward with this important public space.

Photo credit: City of Vancouver. Corduroy Road. – 2013 summertime installation at 800-Robson.