The intent is to reallocate a portion of one of the bridge’s southbound travel lanes (and south side off ramp) to create a southbound bike lane. This would create the opportunity for a separated bike lane and sidewalk on the west side of the bridge, while the east side would stay as it is. The approach would create improved separation between cyclists from pedestrians, enhancing overall safety. City staff suggest that the change would have a “minimal impact on motor vehicle capacity.”

Improvements to various connections at the north and south ends of the bridges are also discussed in the report (and in some cases already underway). To this end, we suggest that upgrades to existing bike lanes should also be considered as part of this initiative. In particular, the recently installed Smithe Street lane, with its partial separation of bikes and cars, and its blended bike/right turn lanes, can feel especially unsafe.

:: Read the City of Vancouver report – Cambie Bridge Interim Active Transportation Improvements

Photo by Gary Howe, Flickr, MyWheelsareTurning.

Sadik-Khan is widely regarded as one of the driving forces behind a series of groundbreaking public space initiatives. In the six years she was Commissioner (2007-13), she oversaw the installation of 400 miles of bikelanes, 60 plazas – including the radical pedestrianization of Times Square – new street design guidelines and a slew of other transformative projects.

In addition to an impressive transportation-related CV, Sadik-Khan is also a lawyer by training — which perhaps explains her ability to turn a phrase. Her talk, delivered to a full house at the QE Theatre Playhouse, was replete with quotable moments. We’ve compiled some of our favourite lines as a way to share some of the content of the event.

1. Streets are what makes a city great, or not so great. For a long time now, we’ve been governed by a dashboard view of the road.

Streets are a huge part of the public domain – often accounting for over 30% of the land-area in a city. Great streets are the defining element in cities… but all to often, the perspective on how they should function – and whom they should serve – is focussed around the automobile. The tendency – at least for much of the 20th century – was to downplay and even exclude the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders.

The consequence of that exclusion is an economic, social and health catastrophe. Congestion wreaks havoc, traffic crashes are a leading cause of death, and building more (or wider) roads only amplifies the problems. (Sadik-Khan quipped: is there a profession other than traffic engineering where 33,000 people a year die and no one gets fired?)

Changing this “dashboard perspective” is about shifting focus to other road users. Importantly, this doesn’t mean getting rid of cars; rather it’s about a better balance.

A painted bikelane in New York (source: Janette Sadik-Khan)

2. Paint the city you want to see… you can accomplish a lot with just the supplies you have on hand

Introducing positive changes does not require massive expense, nor even comprehensive planning and years of study. In fact, you can accomplish a lot with some short and sweet interventions.

This is Sadik-Khan espousing the “lighter, quicker, cheaper” approach that is the hallmark for a lot of good placemaking. In essence, this speaks to the ease with which you can get people to think differently about a space – by planting a few flowers, putting out some simple lawn chairs or a public piano, or hiring a local artist to paint a mural. These are the sorts of vehicles that lend themselves to overnight transformation.

As a plus for city governments – the cost of these projects, coupled with a can-do attitude on the part of electeds and bureacrats, is a great way to eliminate the institutional paralysis that can sometimes characterize bigger public space projects. Or put another way: you don’t need to over-think a street mural. If it really sucks, you can always paint something else.

3. Once you adapt a space, people adopt it

The short-n-sweet interventions described above can be a fantastic means to foster a sense of ownership amongst the public. One of Sadik-Khan’s best known projects involves closing Times Square to cars. The ensuing plaza space that was created was initially decorate with paint and low-cost lawn chairs.

Times Square (Photo: Mitchell Reardon)

You might think, in car-obsessed New York, that this would be a recipe for on-going complaint… and yet, after some initial hand-wringing in the lead-up, the discussion, post-closure, almost instantly moved to a debate around the colour and quality of the chairs. People had taken ownership over Times Square within a matter of hours.

Again, adapting a space isn’t that difficult. City Studio’s excellent “Keys to the Street” program began with a series of free pianos (thank you Craigslist) and a few cans of paint. For the cost of a few 2nd hand chess boards, another local placemaker we knew created games nights at the North Plaza for two summers. Easy stuff.

(A sidenote: Sadik-Khan gave a nod to the “tremendous talent” in the local arts community, encouraging their involvement in the process.)

4. There’s no shame in stealing good ideas.

This phrase is hardly the brainchild of Sadik-Khan – so it’s a bit self-reflexive in that regard. We reference it because the presentation made clear the fact that no city, even one as endlessly creative as New York, needs to feel bad about borrowing and adapting placemaking ideas that come from somewhere else. After all, why reinvent the wheel when you can utilize a good initiative that’s already been tested?

Part of the New York transformation had its roots in Copenhagen – when a group of top decision-makers visited the capital of Denmark and saw the bike-friendly city with their own eyes. This is big-scale “borrowing” – one municipality sussing out another way to approach transport infrastructure – but there’s lots more that can be done on a variety of scales. Thanks to the instantaneous nature of social media, you can see new examples popping up on a daily basis.

This idea of stealing good ideas made us wonder: why would there be there any shame in doing this? Is there a fear of being derivative? Is it the notion that our city (or any city) is so utterly unique that cool ideas from other places wouldn’t make make sense on home turf? We’ve certainly heard people make the “claim for uniqueness” in the case of local public space (our favourite variant: “a central public square in Vancouver would never work because the city is too rainy — this isn’t Europe don’t you know!”)

In our experience, such friendly adaptation doesn’t make a city any less innovative; rather the sharing of good foundational ideas – whether formulas for simple street closures, or methodologies for cycling programs – can actually lead to interesting variations, riffing, and the emergence of entirely new initiatives.

5. In God We Trust, Everyone Else Bring Data

Another great riff. This line was borrowed from Sadik-Khan’s boss, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg was a strong adherent of evidence-based decision-making. Not only was data a key point in launching various public space programs – but it became a major factor in ensuring that their continuity and expansion. New bike lane and rapid bus lines were monitored for a range of impacts – related to traffic flow, business, safety and more. The success of these programs – and the numbers to quantify this success – provided the impetus for forging further ahead.

Caveat emptor: Data is only as robust as the data-gathering tools, methods and analysis that are brought to bear. New York has invested heavily in its research approach, and the result stands up to scrutiny. Poorly written opinion surveys (coincidentally, like the one an East Vancouver BIA released on the same day as Sadik-Khan’s talk) don’t help anyone. Exhibit A in the cateogry of leading questions: “Do you feel that separated bike lanes will negatively impact business by decreasing customer traffic, resulting in fewer sales and ultimately potential job losses as a result.?”

That’s right, vote for bikes at your peril, you job-killing, business-destroying heathen!

6. Follow the people, follow the footsteps. Look where people are walking today and you can see the city of tomorrow.

And on the subject of research… this line gives a nod to the role of observational studies, both for understanding how cities are actually used (e.g. the popular spot to jaywalk that’s a couple blocks away from the crossing lights) and for identifying where change needs to take place (e.g. where this desire line gets strengthened with improved pedestrian protection measures). The big point here is that the sociology of movement (quite) often differs from the cleaner and more rational assumptions that have typically informed 20th century traffic engineering. Good cities need to acknowledge and respond to this reality. In doing so, considerable gains can be made.

Engaging local artists in plaza design (Source: Janette Sadik-Khan)

7. Plazas and bike lanes, once installed, are now part of the status quo.

It can be a struggle to implement change. Given the neurology of cognitive biases, we actually seem to be hardwired against it. And yet, one of the beneficial consequences of introducing new people-friendly infrastructure is the opportunity to change – to redefine – the status quo.

Taking the plunge with new public space infrastructure – closing streets to cars, expanding sidewalks, creating plazas – meant that the previous “everyday normal” of cars, cars, cars, was transformed. This wasn’t easy (and to be sure, there are still people that grumble at Sadik-Khan about her initiatives) — and yet, when there are obvious benefits, then it also doesn’t take long for the good stuff to define a new, more positive status quo.

In practice, what this meant in New York is that residents came out in droves when the new administration of Bill de Blasio publically mulled the idea of both reopening Times Square to cars, and removing some of the other plazas and bike lanes that had been installed. The idea was quickly (and wisely) dropped.

Burrard Bridge is an excellent Vancouver example. In 2009, there was a major outcry about the impending carmageddon that would result from replacing a car lane with one for bikes on this important bridge. Fast forward to 2015. When the City announced that a sidewalk would replace a car lane, there was barely a whisper of complaint.

Parklet on Commercial Drive (Photo: Steve Chou)

8. Just try it. You can’t argue that our [current] streets are so perfect that you can’t try anything.

This sounds a little like the advice your Mom used to give… but that’s okay, because it’s actually a really important point. It is very easy to shoot down interesting project ideas for any number of reasons: it’s been tried before, it’s too risky, we don’t do that here, the psyche or social fabric of the city will be upended, etc.

We are – as a species – extraordinarily good at saying no. Fear of change is a powerful syrup that can keep us glued in place, and some of these new ideas seem as unsavory as – well, broccoli used to be… before you realized it wouldn’t kill you.

There’s always room for improvement – especially where public space and active transportation considerations are concerned. We want – no, need – to make sure our streets are safer, friendlier and more liveable for everyone, so there is absolutely no reason that we shouldn’t be experimenting, innovating, trying pilot projects and figuring out ways to introduce change.

To us, the real question here isn’t whether or not whether to “try”, it’s how. There needs to be good dialogue between different actors and stakeholders up front, a willingness to genuinely test ideas, and an agreement to evaluate the results after giving things a fair try. This could – and should – mean additional changes, including reverting back to the former situation of the experiment’s results don’t support its continuation.

Good city planning and design is about taking those steps. No one stakeholder should be able to veto a decent experiment. Sadik-Khan noted: “no one has a patent on pavement. The public domain is the public’s domain.”

A side note on Vancouver’s long-standing summertime “experiment” – the temporary pedestrianization of the 800-block of Robson (in front of the Art Gallery). Gordon Price, in a post-talk Q&A, asked Janette Sadik-Khan about whether or not the site should be permanently closed to cars (as is being proposed at City Council this week). Sadik-Khan made a few remarks about Times Square, ending with “try it out, do it… you’ll like it!

That seems pretty reasonable to us.

As you’ve probably heard, a sizeable component of the discussion is devoted to several new bike lanes that are proposed for the City, including a number in the downtown core.

This is an important step forward for biking in Vancouver, offering further legitimacy and support to cycling as a mode of transportation. However, it also, indirectly, raises some interesting questions about the City’s attention to pedestrian issues and pedestrian infrastructure.

But before we get to that, let’s start by noting some of the many generally favourable articles and posts written about the bike lanes, including CBC and Metro and Vancity Buzz, among others. It’s perhaps equally telling to make note of the articles that aren’t being written. Whereas previous bike lane discussions (Burrard, Hornby, Dunsmuir) have generated all sorts of froth, it’s good to note that the backlash against bike lanes appears to have quieted. Maybe not everywhere, of course, but in a lot of corners. Even former opponents, like the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, have now come out in support. Cycling infrastructure is rolling forward indeed.

So, we’ll happily go on record noting our support as well. And we will be writing to Council to say as much. For us the new bike lanes do a number of things:

• Increase the accessibility of safe, health-promoting, all-ages, cycling infrastructure for residents and visitors.

• Enable more room for growth. As the numbers show, we continue to see an upward trend in the use of our bike lanes – and more and better infrastructure will propel further increases. Biking is becoming more of a norm for more people.

• Strengthen the network. The focus on improving the connections between already existing routes is key. Fewer ‘gaps’ means better overall connectivity, better access to key destinations, and a resulting increased efficiency for cycling as a mode of transportation.

• Support more spot improvements to elements of cycling infrastructure that need a ‘quick fix.’ (One suggestion: we’d love to see a transparent and trackable means for the public to identify needed improvements).

• Present a well-conceived choice of routes. The choice of future routes – both downtown and city-wide – reflects good planning around design and location.

But, let’s bike-park the cycling question for the moment.

We also think this is the right opportunity to raise a note of concern about the “Five Year Update”. And it’s not a small note. It’s a fundamental one.

Active transportation is supposed to be about cyclists and pedestrians. With that in mind, the staff report being considered on Thursday, should outline a five year plan for both of these modes of transport – and everything else self-propelled and ‘active,’ including wheelchairs, skateboards, push scooters and more.

Its revealing, then, that the aforementioned report uses the word “pedestrian” only twice in its 16 pages. “Walk” or “walking” fares a little better, showing up 17 times in total. Compare “cycling” (59 uses) and “bike” (66 uses) and you get a sense of the report’s priorities.

There’s more. The word “sidewalk” appears eight times, and if you look at how this term is used, the sense of priorities crystallize a little further. Almost inevitably the references talk about the benefits of bike lanes as a way of improving walkability – because they will, in theory, take bikes (and now skateboards) off of the sidewalk. Now, this is good move, to be sure – but there is a lot more that needs to be done to improve pedestrian infrastructure than just the subtraction of cyclists from city sidewalks.

With very few exceptions, everyone uses pedestrian infrastructure – including cyclists, transit users and car drivers – and we think the present report ought to go further and spell out a more tangible action plan for the most essential, most universal, mode of transportation. There’s much that a ‘5 year Action Plan’ might conceivably say about pedestrians; this present report misses an important opportunity.

Which brings us to a more fundamental discussion taking place at Council on today: on the subject of the 2016 Budget. It’s at this meeting that Council will deliberate over the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars in capital and operating funding, covering every aspect of municipal operations.

Despite the fundamental – even existential – nature of pedestrian mobility, and notwithstanding the fact that pedestrians are prioritized in the City’s Transportation 2040 plan, the actual municipal investment in qualitative and quantitative improvements to pedestrian infrastructure has flat-lined in recent years. Last year, the City’s budget for sidewalk rehabilitation was a paltry $1million. This year, the figure is the same… and that’s a million that is meant to fund repairs to a civic asset that is 2,100 kilometres in length.

Of course, there are other line items that support walkability. The 2016 budget proposes $875,000 will go to new pedestrian and cycling signals. An additional $325,000 is allocated for new curb ramps. But at several thousand a pop for either of these types of infrastucture, the budgeted funds will not last long. The curb ramp budget, for example, will cover approximately 60 of the 6000 ramps that are estimated to be needed across the city.

The same story holds for the $275,000 in new sidewalk construction funds. The amount sounds like a lot at first blush, but it actually only means between 3-5 kilometres of new sidewalk will be built.

This is problematic enough for safety reasons. Our pedestrian infrastructure may not need to be perfect (a few cracks, a bit of warping from tree roots and you get the addition of character), but it could certainly stand to see more investment. Character aside, the city does have a lot of pedestrian spaces that are in need of real improvement. The annual budgets have been granting very limited means to meet this need.

Finally, there’s yet another angle to consider: the opportunity – the real possibility – to think of our sidewalks as critically important public spaces, not just corridors for people movement. Key sidewalks, especially on our extraordinary high streets ought to be places for gathering. They ought to be beautiful. They should be a key part of making our civic spaces sparkle.

The City’s Transportation 2040 Plan speaks eloquently about the need to make walking “delightful.” That’s a wonderful word for policy… and we should have sidewalks every bit as worthy of that aspiration.

Alas, if we’re after sidewalk widening and the more generous ‘complete street‘ designs that many city’s are experimenting with, the opportunities presented in both policy and budget are likely be constrained, and driven largely by redevelopment opportunities than a more proactive, city-led approach. Similarly, if we want something more than minimalist concrete, a $1 million “rehabilitation budget” means we can kiss any hope of pavers, cobblestone and decent design treatment goodbye. There are exceptions, of course, but the dollars-and-cents reality of the sidewalk budget makes this an impossibility on any decent scale.

It doesn’t have to be that way, of course. We think it’s time to see Active Transportation priorities (and the associated capital allocations that sustain them) focus more meaningfully on the pedestrian realm. Not at the expense of cycling infrastructure, but as a proper compliment to it.

In the past several years, Council has turned the wheel forward with some incredible investments cycling infrastructure and policy. It’s now time to make similar strides with the same rigorous and game-changing investment in our pedestrian realm.

More information 

:: City of Vancouver: Active Transportation Update and Pilot for Skateboarding in Protected Bike Lanes
:: City of Vancouver: 2016 Budget and Five Year Financial Plan

UPFRONT: A New Year: with new public space activities on the horizon

2013 is now just over one-month old, and already it’s off to a roaring start. February is flush with exciting public space-related events – with something to tantalize everyone’s palate. You’ll find lots of interesting things in this month’s Public Space News & Events.

On the home front, the VPSN team held a project planning workshop for the upcoming year. We’ll be rolling out a calendar of events and activities to help enliven the city in the very near future. Among the items on our roster: more work on Robson Square, a new film fest, a city-wide public space game, and potentially, a brand new and extremely soggy design competition. We’ll be refining our full calendar of activities in the next week… and you can expect a report-out shortly thereafter. As always, we’ll be looking for the help, interest and support of public space aficionados in the city to make it all happen.

On that note, a few quick updates. We’ll be having our next volunteer orientation on Wednesday, February 6. If you’re interested in learning more about the Network, please join us! Details can be had at volunteer [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca.

And… it’s a little ways a way yet, but the VPSN will be heading to Richmond on March 28 as part of the 2013 Lulu Speaker Series. This year’s theme is Art in the City and part of our presentation will focus on sharing some examples of the best new public space activations, animations, art and design projects from around the world. Do you have any examples you think should be part of the conversation? We’re firm believers in crowd-sourcing case-studies… so if you’ve got something to share (photos, leads, ideas) please send ‘em our way: publicity [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca.

ENGAGE

Saturday, February 2 – Grandview-Woodland Parks & Public Space Dialogue / Workshop

Grandview-Woodland is one of four neighbourhoods undergoing a community planning process. As part of the work under way in this part of town, there’s an upcoming Planning through Dialogue event on Parks & Public Space.

The workshop will look at a variety of items, including greenspaces, plazas, streets & greenways, community facilities and public realm features. The event is free, but you need to register to attend. Starts at 12:30.

:: To register – Visit the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan Webpage

Saturday, February 2 – Point Grey-Cornwall Corridor Open Houses

The Point Grey Road–Cornwall Avenue Active Transportation Corridor Project aims to create a safe, convenient and comfortable connection for pedestrians and cyclists between Burrard Bridge and Jericho Beach. City staff will be available at all the open houses to discuss the project, answer questions and gather input. Event takes place 10:00am-2:00pm, Kitsilano Community Centre, 2690 Larch Street, Snowy’s Lounge.

:: More info – City of Vancouver webpage

Help transform Granville Street for 2013 – Deadline February 4

If you are a Vancouver-based not-for-profit, community, or corporate group, the City wants to hear from you! VIVA Vancouver is accepting proposals for public space activations on Granville Street (downtown) for summer 2013. The deadline is Monday 4 February 2013. Read the news release for more guidelines, application form, and more.

:: More information – vancouver.ca/viva

Other items on the horizon – Art Gallery, downtown public spaces, viaducts

No dates appear to have been set at this point, but a number of important public space-related discussions are due back at City Council in the near future. These include a discussion of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s business plan (related to their proposed move to a new site), a discussion on downtown public spaces (coming out of the City’s recently adopted Transportation 2040 Plan), and an update on the discussion around the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. Stay tuned for details.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

February 1 – Intersections

Hollywood & Vine. Haight & Ashbury. Portage & Main. Davie & Denman. Great cities are composed of great intersections. Recognizable outside of their city limits, these intersections play host to significant historical events, define the culture of a place, and are the meeting point for diverse groups of people. Launching February 2013 at the Platform Gallery, Intersections celebrates the unique attributes of seven essential cross-streets throughout Vancouver through graphic design. As of February 1, Intersections will be on exhibition at the Canada Line’s Platform Gallery, located underground at Waterfront Station.

:: Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/platformyvr

February 2 – Car-Free Day – Launch Celebration

Volunteers, participants, supporters, friends and family all welcome as the Car-Free crew work towards another year of bringing streets to life with community awesomeness and car-free fun. “We are always looking for new blood and ideas and planning is underway to celebrate the 9th annual Car Free Vancouver Day on June 16, 2013.”

Event takes place 8pm ‘til late at the Beaumont Studios, 316 West 5th Ave (5th and Alberta). Sorry, no minors.

:: More info – Facebook Event Page

Saturday, February 2Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride

So many crows, where do they go? There are more than twenty thousand crows that arrive at the roost from all over the Lower Mainland! Follow the crows eastward on their daily migration to their roost beside Still Creek. Bring a snack to share if you feel like it, and maybe something warm to drink. Also remember your bike lights and warm clothes. Meet at 4:00pm, Lakewood Drive and Central Greenway. Rain date: February 9.

:: More info –

Sunday, February 3 – Stanley Park Ecology Society’s 25th Birthday

Join the SPES at the Stanley Park Nature House as they celebrate 25 years of environmental education, conservation and stewardship programs. Join in on free family fun activities and learn about StanleyPark wildlife from local experts and dedicated volunteers. 11am -3pm

:: More information – http://stanleyparkecology.ca/

Tuesday, February 5 – Arthur Erickson Lecture Yung Ho Chang (Atelier FCJZ, China)

Yung Ho Chang will speak about five projects that FCJZ is currently pursuing: the Ism Project, the Mat Project, the Urb Project, the Other Project, and the Media Project. In addition, he will also discuss FCJZ’s recent exhibition Material-ism at UCCA in Beijing. Takes place 6:30-8:30pm at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street.

Wednesday, February 6 – Places that Matter – China Creek Cycle Track

Join Vancouver Heritage Foundation for Places That Matter plaque presentation #49. Meet cycling veterans and hear first hand accounts of racing on the track. The China Creek cycle track was built the 1954 British Empire & Commonwealth Games. Around 1900, Chinese farmers had worked the land along the creek south of Broadway; the track stood on fill atop the creek’s ravine, used as a city garbage dump until 1946. By the 1960s the track deteriorated, but it was rebuilt in 1973 and used until 1980, when Vancouver Community College transferred its campus from 12th and Oak. Track cycling moved to the Burnaby Velodrome in 1997.

Event takes place 10:00am, China Creek Cycle Track, at VCC Broadway Campus. Meet in the 1st floor atrium off Glen and E. 7th Ave.

:: More info – Jessica Quan – Jessica@vancouverheritagefoundation.org

Thursday, February 7 – Board of Change – Greenest City 2020 “State of the Union”

It’s been a year and a half since the Greenest City Action Plan was approved by City Council. In that time 125 projects have been underway across the City transforming the place where we live, work, and play. Come and hear some highlights of what’s been accomplished so far, areas that need more work, and plans for the future. Take this opportunity to give your feedback on priorities you’d like to see, initiatives that you appreciate, and areas of improvement. Doors open at 5:00pm, Panel & Discussion: 5:30-6:30 pm; Networking: 6:30-7:00pm. Event is free for Board of Change members; $10 for non-members.

:: To register – Board of Change website

Thursday, February 7 – Retrofitting Suburbia Revisited

How can ghostboxes, dead malls, aging office parks, out-dated edge cities and blighted commercial strips be retrofitted into more sustainable places? Co-author of the award winning book, “Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs”, Ellen Dunham-Jones will explain the drivers behind successful built suburban retrofits in North America and illustrate the three principal strategies: re-inhabitation, redevelopment and re-greening. Event takes place 7pm, SFU Surrey, Room 2600. Admission is free but registration is required.

:: To register: SFU event webpage

Thursday, February 7 – Vancouver: Our Diverse Heritage

The first Approaching the Past event in Vancouver features free public talks by Donald Luxton, conservation consultant, educator, and author, and Vanessa Campbell, educator, Squamish Nation Language Program. Takes place 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street.

:: RSVP to admin@thenhier.ca or (604) 822-6915.

Friday, February 8 (tentative) – Idle No More Flashmob

Tentative date for the next Idle No More flashmob. Scheduled for 5:30pm.

:: Details – Facebook Event Page

Tuesday, February 12 – Matt Hern: In Defence of an Urban Future

An ecological future has to be an urban future, but that vision rests on remaking our cities as something other than crass investment mechanisms populated by greed and shoppers. We have to reimagine cities as something better: compact, accretive, self-determining places full of commonality, and vibrancy. This rendition of density requires a politics that commits to participatory difference, equity, hospitality and friendship. Event takes place 7:00-9:00pm, 149 West Hastings – Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre – GoldcorpCenter for the Arts.

:: Registration Details – Facebook Page

Wednesday, February 13 – Bernadette Blanchon – Generating Urban Landscapes in France: A Historical Perspective Since 1945

UBC SALA lecture by Architect Bernadette Blanchon on landscape architecture during the post-war period in France. Event takes place 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Orpheum Annex, 823 Seymour Street near Robson

Wednesday, February 13 - Sex Talk in the City – Opening Reception

Be among the first to discover an innovative exhibition that explores the history of sexuality in Vancouver – from education to pleasure to politics. Explore sexuality not as science, but as part of our exciting, fascinating, thought-provoking culture. Doors open at 6:30, event starts at 7:00. Dress in red! Takes place at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street.

:: Tickets & Info – MOV Website

Thursday, February 14 – 22nd Annual Feb 14th Women’s Memorial March

March starts at noon from Carnegie (Main and Hastings) and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the court house; a healing circle at OppenheimerPark around 2:30 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall. Please NOTE that this year the march starts one hour earlier, at 12:00 noon.

:: More information – http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/

Sunday, February 17 – Uberdrop/Community Arts Chinese New Year

Ring in the Chinese New Year and mark the year of the water snake. Giant blue drops. Giant snake… combining forces to sending a clear message about community, water, art and unity – all at the same time.

:: More information – Community Arts Vancouver; http://www.cacv.ca/tag/water; The original Überdrop event page: http://on.fb.me/X2SizM; Chinese New Year parade: http://bit.ly/113KyGr; The Blue Drop Movement: www.bluedrops.ca

Thursday, February 21 – Mark Kingwell – Is Public Space a Public Good?

Public space is routinely seen as the cure to every imaginable urban ill, from air quality to obesity. But how much of what we call public space is really public? Mark Kingwell will consider this problem, together with its implications for the notion of urban play and the so-called ‘right to the city.’ He will conclude with some reflections on the relationship between the city and the university. Event takes place 7 pm, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (at Woodward’s), 149 W. Hastings St. Admission is free, but reservations are required.

:: To register: SFU event webpage

Monday, February 25 – SALA Lecture with Peter Cardew

Lecture by RAIC Gold Medalist winner Peter Cardew, Peter Cardew Architects, Vancouver. Lecture free and open to the public. Event takes place 6:30-8:30pm at UBC Robson Square.

:: Details – UBC SALA Webpage

RESEARCH TIDBITS

A round-up of recent items and factoids from around the world:

Protected bikeways improve local businesses… “NYC DOT found that protected bikeways had a significant positive impact on local business strength. After the construction of a protected bicycle lane on 9th Avenue, local businesses saw a 49% increase in retail sales. In comparison, local businesses throughout Manhattan only saw a 3% increase in retail sales.” | More… 

Walk Score Ranks Canada’s Most Walkable Cities… and “Vancouver, with a Walk Score of 78, topped Canada’s most walkable cities …” | More…

[UPDATE March 16, 2019 – Walkscore has recently partnered with Redfin to produce the following resource, explaining how walkability calculations are made: https://www.redfin.ca/how-walk-score-works]

Less cars equals more money for the local economy… “If a city can reduce car ownership by 15,000 cars… $127,275,000 could stay in the local economy… “ | More…

Proximity Trumps Mobility: Smart Growth Maximizes Accessibility… [I]ncreased proximity provided by more compact and centralized development is about ten times more influential than vehicle traffic speed on the number of destinations that people can reach within a given travel time. | More…

SUPPORT THE VPSN

The Vancouver Public Space Network is an all-volunteer, community-driven enterprise that works on advocacy, education and outreach pertaining to the city’s public realm. We depend on member contributions in order to undertake our projects and activities. Looking to lend a hand? Please consider making a donation or signing up for one of our volunteer projects. Find out how you can help: info [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

CONTACT

Vancouver Public Space Network
Box 2754 Station Terminal
349 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 3X2

General info: info [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Newsletter & Event Submissions: newsletter [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Facebook: VPSN Facebook Group and VPSN Facebook Page

Flickr: VPSN group and photostream

Twitter: @vpsn

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world… a crowd gathers for New
Year’s celebrations at Mrs Macquerie’s Point in Sydney Australia.
Submitted by VPSN member Lisa M.

A late year greeting to all of you from the gang at the VPSN. This is it: day 365 of 2010 and we’re a mere few hours away from a brand new year. We hope you’re having a grand time with you various celebrations.

We wanted to take this opportunity to send you out a quick thank you for all your support this past year. 2010 has been an exciting one for us – and a busy year for public space related issues in the Vancouver. We had the opportunity to be involved in a great number of initiatives, and it’s been fun take this holiday period to reflect on the public space ‘scene’ in Vancouver over the past 12 months.

This time last year, Vancouverites of all political stripes were gearing up for the Olympics, planning a range of activities. In addition to some pre-Games advocacy work around Olympic gathering areas, corporate signage and the deployment of surveillance technology, the VPSN also launched our blog during the 1^st month of 2010 – using it to report out on urban issues – starting with the Game’s related transformation of the City. Since that time, we’ve seen our readership grow in leaps and bounds… and it’s been a great tool to connect with residents of the City about civic affairs issues.

2010 was also a big year on the active transportation front. The Olympic transportation plan marked a watershed moment for shaping urban mobility during the Games. But that was only the start! The Vancouver Courier recently declared their ‘Newsmaker of the Year’ to be the bicycle – no small tribute to the many initiatives that have taken place concerning the humble two-wheeler this year. Chief amongst these was the installation of the Dunsmuir viaduct separated bikelane in the Spring of this year and the more recent opening of the Hornby Street separated lane. These weren’t controversy free, to be sure, and yes, the process could have been handled better… but regardless, we feel that they will help to put Vancouver on the path to a more sustainable, healthful future.

Pedestrian issues have also begun to come to the fore and we’ve been working to support these where possible. There been an increasing focus on improving the pedestrian experience, the walkability of neighbourhoods, and attending to issues of pedestrian safety. And with the City focusing on “green mobility” as part of its Bright Green Future initiative and planning to develop a new Transportation Plan in 2011, this positive trend will only continue. Our prediction? 2011 will be to pedestrian issues, what 2010 was to the bicycle. Just watch what happens when the international Walk 21 Conference landing in town in November.

Animating the city’s public spaces has always been part of our strategy to focus attention on the public realm. This year was no exception! In the summer time we transformed Granville Street into a giant percussive ensemble with our Stick it to the Streets event. Later in the year, we were pleased to roll out two of our annual favourites: in September we participated in our third Park(ing) Day celebration – that international day of parking space reclamation (this year we had sites in Davie Village and at City Hall). Then in late October, we had our annual Halloween transit party – a massive costumed take-over of the Seabus. And then in November we managed to get 100 folks together on Vancouver’s coldest, snowiest day, to make a giant ‘ecological footprint’ as part of an international public art project.

In 2010 we continued to wear our advocacy hats on all aspects of Vancouver’s public space policy – from arguing against the deployment of surveillance cameras in schools to raising the alarm over new forms of corporate advertising, from to registering concern with increased fees for community-based events, to taking a stance against the proposal to extend the municipal vote to corporations.

We’ve also weighed in on site-specific spaces as well – we participated in the discussion around moving the Vancouver Art Gallery, developed new community gardens, completed an ethnographic film on Yaletown Park, and focused a considerable amount of resources towards advocating for a sufficient quantity and quality of public space (and other public benefits) as part of the development of Northeast False Creek. And of course there’s another item we’re very excited about: the push to transform the 800 block of Robson Street into a public square (a move that was recently supported by all three municipal parties!)

This was just a sampling of some of the things we were involved in last year. As with all our projects, the aforementioned initiatives gave us the chance to work with fantastic volunteers, amazing community organizations and stellar people in local government, schools and universities and the community at large. It’s an honour for us to be able to collaborate with Vancouver’s many excellent space-makers and urban enthusiasts. 

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VPSN Coordinators also took the first weekend in December to plan out some of our activities for 2011. Here’s a sneak peek of a few of the many things you can expect to see over the next 12 months:

• Where’s the Square II – stay tuned for our summertime animation of Robson Street – with a fantastic food-themed event.
• Vancouver Votes / Public Space Manifesto – 2011 is election year, and as with the last municipal contest, the VPSN will be developing a new manifesto and a number of election related events aimed at putting public space issues on the agenda. 
• Relaunching PubliCity – we’ve had an issue ready to go for a few months now… and we’ll be rolling this out in the first few months of 2011.
• Transforming Broadway – Due in January, our report on transforming Broadway into a Great Street will showcase exciting options for the future of Vancouver’s longest east/west corridor.
• Speaker Series / Backgrounders / Websites – We’ve been developing new backgrounders on public health, parking space reclamation, and greenspaces, to name a few. We’ll also be launching version 2.0 of our website, holding key speaker series events and a range of other open-source materials
• Collaborative ventures – We’ve got some exciting things lined up with the Museum of Vancouver and the Vancouver Art Gallery, and other projects in the hopper as well.

And there will be lots of other stuff coming as well… including all your favourite annual events, parties, film fest activities and more. 

Finally… don’t forget, the first big community opportunity to embrace public space takes place tomorrow morning, January 1, with the annual polar bear swim. Even if you don’t brave the chilly waters of English Bay yourself, the scene is a festive one.

The year begins and ends with celebrating in public space. Happy 2011 everyone! Very best wishes to you all.

Your friends at the Vancouver Public Space Network

Earlier today the VPSN sent a letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson and members of City Council, supporting the proposed separated bikelane on Hornby Street. The proposal, which has been open for public comment for some time now, will be in front of the City’s Transportation and Traffic Committee (of Council) tomorrow. A staff report (PDF) authored by Jerry Dobrovolny, recommends proceeding with the project. Despite the many benefits of the project, there has been opposition from a number of the local businesses. We felt it important to voice our support for this key initiative.

The following is an excerpt of the letter penned by Brandon Yan and Demian Rueter, two of the VPSN’s Transportation Coordinators:

We are writing to express our support for the Hornby Street two-way separated bike lane that is currently undergoing public consultation. We believe that Hornby Street is a crucial link in creating a substantive and comprehensive bicycle lane network that will increase ridership and safety and will provide benefits for residents and businesses alike. We would like to take the time to stress the importance of these facilities to Vancouver’s goal of being the Greenest City in the world by 2020.

We wish to identify a few other relevant items that lend further support to this initiative:

The City of Portland estimates that around 60% of their population (around 300,000 people) is interested in cycling but is ultimately intimidated and discouraged from riding their bike because of concerns over safety. Their report states that, “[people] would ride if they felt safer on the roadways—if cars were slower and less frequent, and if there were more quiet streets with few cars and paths without any cars at all.”

TransLink’s 2009 Regional Cycling Strategy also endorses this view. It finds that although Metro Vancouver has over 1,400km of bicycle routes, the majority will not attract people to cycling. Translink suggests that in order to achieve a significant increase in the bicycle mode share, bicycle facilitates and programs should be targeted to those concerned about riding in traffic by promoting low-traffic, separated or off-street facilities.

We are pleased that the City of Vancouver is attempting to promote cycling as a viable mode of transportation. In many cities, cycling rivals and even surpasses driving as the fastest, safest, most convenient way to get around. The separated biking facilities on the Burrard Bridge and Dunsmuir Street have proven popular in attracting new ridership with few, if any, negative impacts.

Finally, we are aware that a number of businesses along Hornby Street have voiced their concern over the removal of on-street parking. However we note in response that the perception that bicycle lane infrastructure creates negative impacts on local businesses has been frequently shown to be inaccurate. For example, a 2009 study in Toronto found that the removal of on-street parking in favour of a downtown bike lane would have few negative effects on businesses and that businesses along the route could actually benefit from lane re-allocation. In fact, in the case of the Toronto example, it was determined that only 10% of those businesses’ patrons drove and that those that arrived by foot and bicycle visited more often and spent the most money per month. Alleviating the fears of businesses will be crucial for the success of the Hornby Street bike lanes.

We further note that the loss of parking spaces from the redesign (158 spaces) will be more than offset by the return of street parking on Howe Street (and also Seymour Street), the presence of a number of nearby parking garages, the continued availability of street parking on every block of Hornby, and – best of all (given the City’s desire to encourage a shift to sustainable transportation activities) the installation of improved cycle parking facilities. Given that there are approximately 10,000 off-street parking spaces available within one block of the proposed cycle route, we feel that the argument that the separated bike lane will compromise Hornby businesses is problematic and suspect.

It’s official! The new separated bike lane on Dunsmuir Street is open for traffic — creating a great opportunity for car-wary cyclists to try biking into the heart of the city.

Up to this point, the city’s network of separated bike lanes has been more piecemeal – the success of the Seawall not finding much company on the network of ‘regular’ city streets. For some time Carrall Street was a lonely standout for separated lanes in the city. Then came the Burrard Bridge lane last year… followed by the Dunsmuir bike lane earlier this year. Now the City’s Engineering Department is pedaling ever closer to a linking all of these components together. With the Dunsmuir lane complete, the next candidate for lane separation is Burrard Street.

This is great news on the sustainable transportation front. It’s more than just a nice idea for being green — it’s pretty darn practical too. Better still, give it a whirl and you’ll see something else: it’s a mighty sweet ride!

The new one kilometre lane moves the state of the city’s cycling infrastructure forward yet again – providing a safe and convenient linkage from the well-used Adanac bike route into the downtown core. Kudos to the City’s Engineering staff for moving this initiative forward so effectively.

The ride, short as it is, is a nice one – with a decent grade, a good pace and a pleasing view of the city — all key ingredients that give the route an enjoyable quality. This is important – in order for cycling to truly succeed as a popular alternative it has to be more than just safe and economical… it has to be fun too. (It’s this last part that sometimes gets left out of planning work, but that’s another story).

The really exciting thing, as the precipitating Council report from early February makes clear, is that there is more to come. The next stage of work to take place downtown will be to look at developing a series of separated bike lanes to link the Dunsmuir viaduct with the Burrard Bridge. The same Council report that preceded this new lane, also reiterates other, earlier, proposals for separated lanes elsewhere in the downtown core.

As the following Engineering map illustrates, the number of separated bike lane routes (and the total length of these routes) in the city is, at present, woefully small.

On the positive side, there has been a definite increase in the amount of cycling infrastructure created over the last two decades:

But as we’ve argued, it’s separated bike lanes that will ultimately be most effective in broadening the cycling demographic, making it a more intuitive option for a wider range of people.

At a cost of $300,000, the Dunsmuir bike lane is expensive, but ultimately money well spent. It’s one of the more high profile projects currently being undertaken by the City’s Engineering Department, and an initiative that will, (along with the Burrard Bridge lane installed last year), provide people with good opportunities to gear into more sustainable modes of transportation.

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On that note… isn’t the Dunsmuir lane a marked contrast to the Burrard Bridge bike project?

Where the lead-up to the installation of the Burrard lane saw a veritable twelve-lane pile-up of apocalyptic renderings (lots and lots of honking and bleating about traffic chaos, endless gridlock, the economic collapse of the city… none of which actually happened), this latest Dunsmuir venture seems to have generated nary a peep.

True, the lane had been closed for construction for some time before hand, and perhaps drivers had simply learned to live without the lane… or is it possible that we’ve actually turned a bit of a corner? Perhaps the Burrard Bridge and Olympic lane closures have yielded a bigger lesson than anticipated. Like that new public art installation on Pender Street says: “Everything will be all right.”