Given these propositions, the VPSN suggests that the City of Vancouver remove or repurpose existing non-compliant billboards and facilitate a comprehensive plan for both digital and ordinary billboards. The VPSN is asking for:

1. Enforcement of existing Sign Bylaw to remove non-compliant billboards

2. Broad, inclusive public consultation/review of proposed revisions to the Sign Bylaw

3. Consideration on the place of digital signage and other emerging technologies in the city.

More than 50% of billboards in Vancouver are non-compliant; they are located too close to residential areas, adjacent to bridges or public transit or are too big or too bright too often.

If a neighbour was playing obnoxiously loud music, would you be offended? The likely answer is yes. You may ask them to turn it down, or perhaps phone the City to stop the racket. This is noise pollution and collectively we have agreed that certain rules should be followed in order to make everyone a little happier.

What about visual pollution? Would you complain if your view of the mountains was blocked by an advertisement for yogurt or a new juice? The answer is likely yes. Unknown to many people is the fact that the City of Vancouver has a sign bylaw limiting the size, brightness and location of billboards.

Also unknown to many people more than half of all billboards in Vancouver are non-compliant; they are located too close to residential areas, adjacent to bridges or public transit or are too big or too bright, too often. It’s just as if we are surrounded by neighbours playing loud music and the enforcement officers are not answering the phone.

In 2003 the City of Vancouver approved a tough new sign by-law that would limit the number and location of billboards in public space. Included in this bylaw was a five year time limit for removing non-compliant billboards. In 2008 this limit expired and rather than issuing violations the City decided to suspend and review the sign bylaw following the 2010 Olympics.

This review should be complete sometime this year. However, in the interim new outdoor advertising technology has entered the market including programmable digital billboards. How should these technologies be allowed in public space? How could citizens and the city derive public benefits? Who should own these spaces?

Like loud music at concerts, there is perhaps a time and place for billboards and digital signage in the city. However, that time and place needs to be decided on by the citizens of Vancouver, not by private or corporate interests. Civic authorities need to enforce existing rules and consider how to integrate outdoor signage into a vibrant and beautiful city.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

Vancouver, the flirtation with Robson Square has been lovely. So lovely, dare we say, that we think it’s time to put a ring on it.

Director Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. Flickr: p medved.

A public square should be a city’s living room. A place for special occasions, celebrations, and big events, but also a place for day to day life, for gathering and socializing. A public square should be an orientation point; a place to visit; a place to take a moment between comings and goings; a space where we can meet people; and a space where we can be pleasantly surprised. We make spaces into places in our minds and collective imagination, when we have the time to get comfortable with them — as we learn their character, discover their efficiencies and eccentricities peeking out from behind the façades of our daily activities. And yes, we make spaces into places when we get to see them through the cycle of the seasons; or indeed, through the broader cycles of human life. A successful public square needs to be accessible, open to everyone, and open all year round, and we think Robson Square can be this — if we give it more of a chance to truly become a place.

Where’s Vancouver’s public square?

Is Robson Square our city living room? Do we have a safe and comfortable, centrally located public plaza where something is always happening, where we can observe Vancouverites, tourists, office workers, children, parents, grandparents, and everyone else that visits or lives in our city? We may have incredible parks and beaches, lively streets and civic facilities, but do we have a place like Director Park in Portland, Trafalgar Square in London, or Piazza Navona in Rome?

Although Vancouverites are flocking back to the city from the suburbs to live and work, we still appear to flee to the edges, often beyond the suburbs, for our leisure. For public space we’ve been described as a “centrifugal city” – with good spaces on the edge, and the absence of a successful year round gathering space in the city centre.

Robson Square was a very successful focal point during the Olympics, and for the last three years,the square has proven to be a great venue for the Vancouver Jazz Festival, which proves that Robson Square can work well as a public gathering area. More casual programming via summertime seating installations (such as this year’s “Urban Reef”) illustrate how well the space can be used for enhancing the everyday urban experience. Why wouldn’t it? Robson Square is at the heart of downtown Vancouver. It’s a major pedestrian thoroughfare. When VPSN launched the very popular ‘Where’s the Square?’ design competition, Robson Square was a favourite location for the creation of a new ‘grand gathering place’.

Because of the Summer Spaces initiatives and ‘Where’s the Square?’ we know people want to sit, watch, eat and gather in Robson Square. We have seen that some activations, designs and seating seem to work better than others. We know from surveys and polls that the idea is a popular one with many residents. But we also know there are some challenges that need to be looked at. For example, the current lighting and evening business closures make the square less appealing after dark, and that there isn’t much shelter from the weather.

However more important than what we know about Robson Square, is the potential that lies in what we don’t yet know, because Robson Square isn’t open all year round.

There is a whole world of possibilities beyond the celebratory, the economic, the playful, or the casual gathering purposes that serve as the primary point of focus of VIVA Vancouver’s summer programming, that we can only explore when Robson Square is pedestrianized full-time and year-round.

Could Robson Square be a successful public space in the winter?

Vancouver Christmas Market; Flickr: Cara kiwinky

How might Robson Square serve as a platform for ever-important political expression? How might Robson Square function as a site of collective mourning or grief?

Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto inscribed with tributes to NDP leader Jack Layton upon his passing. Flickr: Jackman Chiu.

These are questions we just can’t answer with the way we’re using the space now. Seeing the year around, everyday, and spontaneous use of Robson Square allows us to form the kinds of relationships with people that play a key role in countering, or possibly even overcoming, the disconnection cited by so many Vancouverites (clearly captured by the Vancouver Foundation’s studies and report on loneliness).

Important transit challenges

Robson Square is an important block in Vancouver – for visitors using all modes of transportation. We recognize that restricting car access will have an impact on drivers, passengers, deliveries and other vehicles, and that the complete pedestrianization of the space means requires strengthening alternative vehicle routes with minimal delays. But the benefits of better pedestrian conditions at the heart of downtown Vancouver will be a net benefit for the whole city.

We also know that Robson Square is currently part of an important downtown transit route. A permanently pedestrianized square requires finding alternative transit routes which provide an equal or better transit service. Since summer of 2013, TransLink and the City of Vancouver’s Downtown bus review has been looking at how to improve the entire downtown network, including how Robson Square fits in, and we think viable all year alternatives have been identified.

Could Robson Square accommodate both transit and pedestrian spaces at the same time, while excluding all other vehicles? We have seen many examples that exist around the world of public transit vehicles that are integrated with public spaces, yet we have to see discussions at a deeper level on what this would look like for Robson Square. Robson Square (and the 800-block) has a layout is multi-level, and extremely narrow in places. This makes it quite different than most squares that feature bus or tram routing – and it means that conflicts between transit and pedestrians could be exacerbated. Programming of the 800-block with street-level markets, seating, small events and other popular public space activities would be a challenge, if not impossible.

We are confident that a year round solution that improves transit and public space can be found. More ongoing conversations are clearly needed to learn more, and to ensure that any challenges are properly mitigated. It’s important that we make Robson Square a permanent public space that is accessible and welcoming to everyone.

Since its redevelopment, Granville Island has been heralded as a major success throughout North America. Its active public realm, preservation of industrial history, as well as its continuing popularity and economic success, have made it a valuable case study for many cities trying to revitalize their own declining industrial districts. Due to the Island’s success and its positive reputation there have been little to no major alterations to the site’s original design. This, however, will change in 2016, when two prominent buildings, totalling approximately 200,000 square feet, will become vacant.

In 2013, it was announced that the Emily Carr University of Art + Design – one of the mainstays of Granville Island – will be leaving it’s current site and relocating to a new campus on Great Northern Way. Accordingly, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) – Granville Island’s federal caretaker – has hired Vancouver based planning firm, CitySpaces, to develop a preliminary plan addressing the future programming of these spaces and to recommend prospective tenancy.

Image Credit: Emily Carr University

The forthcoming departure of Emily Carr University will undoubtedly leave a considerable void, altering the landscape of Granville Island, while having uncertain repercussions on the utilisation of the surrounding spaces. Consequently, the VPSN believes that this impending vacancy provides an unprecedented, and unique opportunity, to not only re-imagine the Emily Carr site, but the Island as a whole. Future programming of these significant buildings has the potential to act as a catalyst for an important destination in our city. Therefore, careful consideration and meaningful dialogue between a variety of stakeholders needs to occur, in order to ascertain what type of activities will be beneficial to the future of Granville Island.

The VPSN asks that the CMHC maintains the original vision of the island and uses the new space to uphold an active public realm. Although it is too early to say what will eventually fill the Emily Carr site, we at the VPSN have a few suggestions of what the space could transform into:

• An expansion of False Creek Community Centre;
• A public space centre;
• A space for public engagement;
• Another educational institution that maintains an emphasis on arts and culture;
• An expansion of the public market;
• An incubator space for small startup businesses.

For further reading:

ECUAD relocating to a new campus on Great Northern Way

A project to maintain the original vision of the island

Commentary on reimagining Granville Island

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

In anticipation of next week’s HUB Bike to Work Week, we’ve compiled a short history of the development of a public bike share program that identifies issues and challenges to getting the program rolling in Vancouver.

Early in 2009, the City of Vancouver started the “procurement process” to get more bikes on the street, encourage more people to cycle and use the growing cycle infrastructure network. Four years later there are still many questions on when or how the system will be implemented and operate.

There are some details on the scope of the proposed Vancouver system that is based on a TransLink feasibility study. For example, it is proposed that 1,500 bikes will be distributed at 125 stations in the downtown area, east to Main Street and north of 12th Avenue to Arbutus Street. The target market is local commuters and get them to buy monthly or yearly passes for the system but daily and weekly passes will inevitably entice tourists too.

In July 2013, a City of Vancouver staff report noted that the implementation of the first phase of bikes and stations was to take place in early 2014. It is understood that this timeline will not happen due to several challenges and issues.

Challenges:

Helmets - make the Vancouver system unique, the added challenge to abide by the provincial motor vehicle act which dictates that all bike riders on city streets must wear a helmet. Vending machines at each rental station are required – adding to the cost and footprint of the stations and reducing the convenience and simplicity that makes the other public bike share programs successful.

Operator – The City has an agreement with an owner/operator. However, Bixi, the company that was to supply the infrastructure including bikes has gone bankrupt.

Financing or sponsorship – the owner/operator has not yet secured financing or sponsorship to pay for the supply and operation of the system.

Equitable access – for residents, and visitors too!

 

One of the challenges for Vancouver has been securing a PBS operator.
Bixi in Old Montreal, image by Adam Fagen.

There has been some groundwork laid by the city as it has changed a number of by-laws to allow for this type of program to operate on City property. The Vancouver Park Board has also allowed stations and bikes on Vancouver Parks Board lands. Preliminary sites have been identified for stations with most located every 300-400m (approximately 2-3 blocks) on the street and the remaining stations will be located on the sidewalk or other City-owned property and privately owned lands.

This ground work has raised a number of issues relating to who will be using the program, how people will use it, advertising and locating stations.

Bike rental shops, particularly the ones concentrated near Stanley Park, are nervous and worry about the negative impacts of a public bike share would impose on their business.

People worry about the safety concerns that the potential large amount of people jumping on bikes who have little or no knowledge and experience of riding in the city.

The minimum station size is approximately the length of 3 parking spaces, the largest size station estimated to be 7 parking spaces. Where will all these stations go? Generally people freak out when they lose access to parking – as the VPSN found when highlighting issues and recommendations based in our 2008 Bicycle Count – and with the majority of stations to be located on the street this could lead to a lot of unhappy people. Finding space for all these bikes will be a challenge and impact the public realm. Will large areas within local parks be taken over? Will people literally “stumble over” these bike stations in crowed areas? Where will the new stations be located and who will or won’t have access?

Many point to Vancouver’s lack of a public bike share program; on the other hand, it was one of the first cities in North America to create a low-cost, low-impact network of bikeways along residential streets with light traffic volumes, making Vancouver an international leader in increasing the number of cycling trips in some parts of the city. If only Vancouver could apply this same low-barrier access to the bike share program, efforts would go a long way to increasing PBS usage, and in turn, cycling trips and number of cyclists in the city.

Distributing stations across Vancouver’s diverse communities will be a challenge for making public bike share accessible. Consider the bikeways network, the areas of the city it does currently serve and the impacts of not having “safe streets” nearby, on which to ride a bicycle. At least one urban planning graduate student has tackled this very question; Darren Buck’s thesis brainstorms solutions to providing PBS access for low-income communities, and minority groups disproportionately underrepresented in bicycling.

Further to accessibility, the solution to providing every user with a bike helmet is the inclusion of a helmet dispensing machine the size of a soda vending machine at every station. These machines will require space and have plenty of surfaces to affix advertising. This has the potential to dramatically increase in-your-face billboard/advertising across the 125 stations.

Vancouverites – don’t try this at home!
Image by Sharyn Morrow

We offer suggestions to overcome some of the challenges and issues and implement the Vancouver public bike share program:

• Work with local business to locate stations and support existing bike rental shops.
• Build the network of PBS with a view to increasing access for those who currently do not, cannot or choose not to cycle for lack of access to infrastructure.
• Implement a comprehensive and overarching education campaign and wayfinding system to ensure that folks who use the system will stay off sidewalks and understand how to get to their destination (and bicycle station) in a safe manner.
• Limit the size and scope of corporate advertising on the bike stations within the public realm. Use the space available to educate visitors and system users so that it is a positive experience for everyone.

The Vancouver Public Space Network supports the implementation of the public bike share system in Vancouver. The challenges can be overcome and we hope it is very soon! A public bike share program will support and complement existing transportation options and offers an affordable amenity to residents and visitors.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

For decades the laneways have been regarded as a secondary means of vehicular circulation, while retaining a fundamentally utilitarian functionality. Under-utilised and under-appreciated, they frequently exist in a state of disrepair and dilapidation, often acting as the literal dumping ground for our city.

Vancouver Laneway Garbage. Image Credit. Sam Cameron

However, all is not lost! Recent community driven initiatives have successfully sought to re-imagine these spaces and highlight the inherent potential retained within them. Through the facilitation of a series of ephemeral placemaking interventions, non-for-profit organizations, such as Livable Laneways Vancouver, have revealed the laneways to be potential spaces for community gathering, celebration, and interaction, as well as places for artistic expression.

Livable Laneways Activation.
Image Credit. Livable Laneways Vancouver

Drawing inspiration from the laneways has not only been limited to community groups. Local entrepreneurs, such as those situated along Blood Alley, in Vancouver’s historical Gastown neighbourhood, have also taken to embracing these peripheral, or otherwise known as marginal, spaces.

This said the City has not been implicit in this growing awareness. In 2009, Council approved laneway housing (LWH) regulations and guidelines, as part of a densification initiative. Since its inception, the City has issued over 1000 permits, throughout the city, yet the program does little to address the quality of the public space beyond the private residential footprint.

Concurrently, Council has also approved a number of neighbourhood specific plans, such at the Mount Pleasant Community Plan (Nov. 2010) and Implementation Plan (Oct. 2013), West End Community Plan (Nov. 2013), and Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan (Mar. 2014). All of the aforementioned policy documents have sought to initiate a process where the laneways are officially recognised as intrinsic public space assets, aiming to encourage the revitalization of pre-identified spaces.

These localised considerations are all well and good, however, the VPSN believes that a more comprehensive approach needs to occur. Examples such as the City of Sydney’s Laneway Revitalisation Strategy and the City of Port Phillip’s (Melbourne region) Activating Laneways Strategy demonstrate the value of adopting such a strategy.

Sydney Lane Neon.
Image Credit. ASPECT Studio

Accordingly, in order to realise this process of re-imagination and re-appropriation, VPSN proposes that the City of Vancouver considers the adoption of a Laneway Strategy.

Such a strategy could:

– Acknowledge the important role of laneways and provide a vision of the future of these spaces;

– Present different possibilities associated with residential, commercial, and industrial laneways;

– Help balance the current utilitarian role of laneways (e.g. waste collection and goods movement), with future placemaking opportunities;

– Outline quick-win strategies, such as the assignment of names, increase the number of sanctioned street art walls, and improve safety aspects (e.g. lighting);

– Examine more long-term projects which (1) ensure a more efficient means of waste removal, (2) supports the establishment of commercial enterprises, and (3) endorses infrastructural improvement projects;

– Implement a regulatory framework which readily supports event-based activities and provides clarity around issues of permitting and licensing, while potentially reducing or eliminating fees.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

The opening of the Canada Line in 2009 with its Fraser River crossing introduced a new pedestrian/cycling connection across the river. This popular new link between Vancouver and Richmond has helped to foster an increased interest in providing recreation opportunities next to – and along – the river.

The Canada Line; image by grumpygrimble

A recent ‘good news’ update on this front appeared when Council approved the Marpole Community Plan on April 2, which VPSN has reviewed and commented on. Included in the list of 10-year policies in the Public Benefits Strategy is the creation of a new waterfront park of up to 10 acres at the foot of Cambie Street. This represents a tremendous opportunity for a brand new, significant greenspace to be built in a neighbourhood that has less park space than most other areas of the city. And with construction cranes popping up next to Marine Drive Station, this new waterfront park will also help to serve the future residents of this emerging transit-oriented community.

While this new park will be a welcome Fraser River greenspace addition, the momentum needs to continue beyond just this one piece of the puzzle. The Marpole Plan also spells out direction for future extensions of the existing Fraser River Trail. In recent years the Park Board has made some small additions to the Marpole portion of the trail, along with some beautification efforts. However, the trail is still fragmented, and significant gaps around busy industrial areas highlight the need for a more comprehensive, long-term vision of a continuous link of waterfront trails and parks beyond just Marpole. We’re aware that Metro Vancouver is taking the first step in this direction with their collaborative vision to Experience the Fraser:

“Experience the Fraser is a unique vision to connect communities, parks, natural features, historic and cultural sites and experiences along the Lower Fraser River. The Canyon to Coast Trail and Recreational Blueway are the backbone of the project, connecting Hope to the Salish Sea by means of over 550 kilometres of trail (43% of which is already in place) and via the river itself.”

Strategies that add or improve pathways and wayfinding are welcome, as in some places it can be a challenge to navigate the pedestrian and cycling routes between the river and neighbouring residential areas.

[Oblique view of Vancouver and Fraser River looking north] Credit: City of Vancouver Archives; Reference code: AM54-S4-: LP 153.2; Date: June 5, 1948

By putting special focus on the Fraser River, Vancouver’s southern waterfront, we can improve access and help encourage a greater awareness and appreciation of the river’s cultural, agricultural, industrial, and environmental heritage, and provide much-needed opportunities for recreation and public space gathering.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

We’d like to make a proposal: starting in 2015, let’s to do something to formally mark the occasion. We’re a city that has been working hard to shake a ‘no fun’ moniker – and this is a time of year, blossoms blooming, spring in the air, which could benefit from some official merry-making. Let’s call it Vancouver Day.

And why not? This is a great city. We deserve to take a day to say as much. Vancouver Day could be time for a bit of good old civic pride, not to mention a decent party.

It’s not like we don’t have precedents, it’s just that they typically only happen every quarter century. The 50th, in 1936 was celebrated in style, and a quarter-century later, the city’s 75th birthday was marked with pomp and circumstance. Many folks will still remember the centennial celebrations of 1986, which included a parade, community events, even a small flotilla of boats. Then-Governor General Jeanne Sauvé paid a visit and cut cake with Mayor Michael Harcourt; there were speeches and 100-gun salutes, and a big party in Stanley Park. They even had a special recognition ceremony for all the babies born on the day.

More recently, we had chance to see what this could look like in 2011, when not one, but two major “Vancouver 125” activities took place: a free outdoor concert at Jack Poole Plaza on April 6, and a larger, weekend long celebration event called SummerLive that took place in July at Brockton Point, Stanley Park.

We don’t need to go to quite the same extent every year, but something would be nice. How about an official “Vancouver Day” proclamation from the Mayor? Maybe some support for neighbourhood events, or local activities that showcase the many and diverse communities that make up Vancouver? A big pot luck? More cake? Perhaps an ‘official’ event in one or more of the city’s downtown public spaces?

There are lots of different and creative ways to celebrate our city, and it wouldn’t take much to make it happen. Civic leaders could do a lot by just declaring the day a celebration and inviting ideas. Toss in a bit of seed-funding or small community grants and who knows what might happen!

This year, for the first time in a number of years, the City will be rolling out a big New Years’ Eve celebration – one that will actually go to midnight. That’s a positive move. Collective celebrations are an important part of the public life of any city. And let’s not forget, we’ve also got Cherry Blossoms and Vaisakhi, Car Free Days, Pride and Santa Claus, among others.

But it’s time to round out this roster of activities with an event that focuses on our home town. Let’s make it happen! Mark your calendars! Vancouver Day, a day that celebrates the city.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

Every three years, to coincide with the municipal election, the VPSN publishes a series of public space policy ideas. In 2014, we’ll be showcasing several of these via our blog. Be sure let us know what you think!