Design input needed: Blood Alley Square / Trounce Alley

Blood Alley Square, Vancouver, circa 1975

Designed in the early 1970s, Blood Alley Square – located perpendicular to Carrall Street in Gastown – is one of downtown Vancouver’s “hidden gem” spaces. Largely off the radar for many people, it serves as a place for respite for locals and, in recent years, has been slowly morphing into a place for interesting street art and hip, out of the way restaurants (the latter reintroducing some of the commercial uses that were more prominent in previous decades).

Initially motivated by both the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan (completed in 2014), and, more recently, the proposed redevelopment of the Stanley New Fountain building (on Cordova), City staff have, in recent months, been looking at ways to upgrade this now-aging public space.

Earlier this year, the City and their consulting team held initial discussions with the community to gather ideas for the space. The next round of consultation on the proposed redesign of the Square is now underway, and is focussed on two design options that have been prepared for the site.

The feedback from the first engagement activities indicated considerable support for retaining the existing heritage features found in the Square. The two proposals now on the table seem to respect this. The first proposes “retaining as much of the 1970s heritage form and shape as possible,” such as cobble stones, red-brick banding and planters.

The second option suggests a more tiered, multi-level design for the space.

You can see images for both in the City’s open house boards (in particular: Boards 8 and 9).

A detailed questionnaire on both options has been prepared, and provides an opportunity to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of each design, along with other relevant items (accessibility, tree management, waste management, etc.). A series of open houses will be taking place in the square on Wednesday, August 24 (4-7pm) and Saturday, August 27 (11am-2pm).

More information:

• City of Vancouver – Blood Alley / Trounce Alley Webpage
• City of Vancouver – Summary of findings from first consultation in June 2016 (PDF)
• City of Vancouver – Open House Boards – August 2016 Engagement (PDF)
• Catherine Rolfson, CBC News. Blood Alley Square redesign aims to jump start the “heart of Gastown. August 25, 2016.
• Share your input – City of Vancouver – Blood Alley Design Options – Questionnaire