Leg-in-Boot Square. July 2012
Site Name: Leg-in-Boot Square
Address Information:
- 670 Millbank
- Closest Street Intersection: Millbank and Market Hill
- Local Area: Fairview
- Neighbourhood: False Creek South
- Latitude 49.26740782
- Longitude -123.1192495
Flickr Photoset: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjB4Rc3s
Description: A well-proportioned, hard-surfaced neighbourhood plaza surrounded by low + mid-rise residential, and ground-level retail/service. The site faces toward Yaletown, offering a scenic view of False Creek and the downtown peninsula. Despite its design, the plaza is generally under-utilized owing to a combination of inter-related factors: there are few amenities and limited seating, and ground-floor commercial uses tend not to activate the space in any substantive fashion. As a result, the sizeable number of Seawall pedestrians tends to walk past without entering or engaging with the space.
Taxonomy:
- Class: Open Space
- Category: Plaza
- Sub-Cat: Neighbourhood plaza
Ownership:
- Ownership status: Public
Owner Name: City of Vancouver
Location, Size, Dimensions
- Area: 1000m2 (approx)
- Dimensions: 30m x 30m x 30m x 40m (approx)
- Locational Context: Multi-scale low-and mid-rise mixed-use buildings (ground-floor retail and services + upperfloor residential.
- Site Orientation: North-facing
- Solar exposure/shading considerations: Relatively good solar access owing to surrounding building heights. Some shading from buildings to the south.
History
- Year Built: 1970s
- Architect/Designer: Jos Verbauwhede (?)
- History Notes: Constructed in the 1970s as part of the False Creek South neighbourhood.
- Key Events, Usage in History, Timeline: 1970s – construction; 2014 – City Studio design class holds day-long co-design workshop to “imagine the future of the Leg-in-Boot Square”
Design:
- Surface Treatment and Materials: Hard-surfaced – Stone pavers.
- Universal Design: Some small changes in grade. Slope. Stone pavers have been identified as a challeng.
Amenities:
- Weather Proofing: Limited. Mostly via retail edge.
- Formal Seating: Yes – several benches
- Informal Seating: Yes – steps
- Tables: No
- Public Bathrooms: No
- Drinking water fountain: No
- Waste or Recycling Disposal: Yes
- Water Feature: Yes – though not functioning (2016)
- Public Art: Compass’ design via brick inlay
- Lighting: Yes
- Street Trees: Yes – along the edge of the square
- Landscaping: Yes, limited.
Connectivity:
- Adjacent Connected Public Spaces: Seawall
- Bike Route: Yes – Seawall
- Transit: Limited access.
Social Use:
- General Usage or Observational data: Despite it’s strong design features, this space remains relatively under-utilized.
Other Links:
- CityStudio – Placemaking Leg-in-Boot Square – Fall 2014