A great big thank you to the Councillors who supported the motion, to the City staff that helped to develop the proposals, and to the many community members (and friends of the VPSN) who lent their voice in advocating for this important public space.

Thank you, also, to the many previous Councillors who have supported the initiative in one form or another. This truly is a project that has spanned several different administrations. 

The 800-block Robson earlier today.

The original idea for a civic square in this space goes back to the early and mid-20th century. It was most notably formalized in the 1970s by the work of Arthur Erickson and Cornelia Hahn Oberlander when they redesigned the Law Courts and Vancouver Art Gallery. Most recently, the real proof of concept came with the 2010 Olympics and a series of temporary activations and summertime initiatives.

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.

This is particularly important for Vancouver’s public realm, as the route changes also contain options that support at least two major public space initiatives:

• The opportunity to expand Robson Square and transform the 800-block of Robson into a pedestrian-only space;

• the possibility of pedestrianizing the 600-block of Cambie Street (between Dunsmuir and Georgia) as part of the proposed relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Translink is looking for feedback on these concepts, and the deadline to provide input is this Monday, April 21. We are strongly encouraging VPSN supporters to take a few moments this weekend to complete the online questionnaire.

If you support the enhancement of Robson Square and pedestrianization of the 800-block and/or the creation of a new plaza at the 600-block of Cambie, this is the time to weigh in.

Good quality public space and transit – both are needed!

The VPSN has been following the Bus Service Review closely – both as fans of public transit, and as advocates for public space. The review is much needed and has been prompted by growth and change in downtown neighbourhoods, the opening of the Canada Line, and the potential to create substantial improvements to the downtown public realm. As noted in Translink’s study materials “over the past twenty years the downtown population has more than doubled.” The Review will help decision-makers plan for transit service that meets the needs of residents and visitors to the downtown peninsula.

We are particularly supportive of proposed changes to the bus routes that would enable the expansion of Robson Square. The Review has identified short-term changes to support the summertime activation of the 800-block, but it also looks at potential changes to support the permanent pedestrianization of Vancouver’s pre-eminent public gathering area. The idea of creating an expanded public square around the 800-block has been discussed since the 1950s. The Bus Service Review options have the potential to enable the City to take a strong step forward on this initiative.

Figuring out what to do with transit – and ensuring good bus service for West End residents – has been the key sticking point in expanding Robson Square. Suffice it to say, we are excited to see the kinds of workable solutions the City and TransLink’s review process has yielded. The Review shows that it’s possible to have better transit connections and create a more vibrant public realm.

What’s in the Review?

As part of the review, Translink has identified various ways that bus service in and around downtown Vancouver can be enhanced. These are explored in options that relate to three areas of potential change:

1. Downtown-only Routes (Buses 5, 6, C21, C23)
2. Cambie Bridge Routes (Bus 17)
3. Eastern Corridor Routes (Buses 3, 4, 7, 8, 19, 209, 210, 211, 214)

It’s worth taking a look at all of these possible areas of change, and you can do this by looking at both general and technical documents that Translink has produced. The online survey also provides much of this background information.

Our particular area of focus is on the first of these three areas of change, as it most directly relates to the possibility of expanding Robson Square.

Two overarching options for Downtown-only Routes… with important variations

The Local Bus Review identifies two potential options in redesigning the bus routes that stay within the downtown Vancouver peninsula. These are referred to as the L-shaped Loop (option A1), or the Rectangular Loop (option A2). In their basic form, both of these options show bus service remaining on the 800-block of Robson, but, both proposals also include alternate routings that would facilitate the expansion of Robson Square, and the creation of a pedestrian-only space on the 800-block.

Here’s option A1 – the “L-shaped Loop”, with the Robson-closure ‘sub-option’ below:

In this case the Robson Square variant routes the #5 north on Burrard (at Robson) and then east on Hastings and over to Cambie. With this route, the bus swings by Waterfront Station (or close to it). Its southbound route (along Cambie) then brings it in close proximity to key cultural services such as the library. The L-shaped Loop option also has a second ‘sub-option’ (not shown here) that accommodates the closure and pedestrianization of the 600-block of Cambie, but not the 800-block of Robson.

Here’s option A2 – the “Rectangular Loop,” again with the Robson-closure sub-option:

On the Robson Square variant of A2, the #5 bus turns north on Burrard to Georgia, and then over to Cambie – a route that would take the bus directly by both Canada Line and SkyTrain stations (at Granville), the VPL Central Library and other other key amenities and services – including the potential new home of the Art Gallery.

Again, it’s important to note that while both the basic A1 and A2 options offer interesting transit-focused improvements, neither support the expansion of public space at Robson or Cambie on their own. It’s the the various sub-options to A1 and A2 where these important enhancements are made.

Help support the creation of improved public space in downtown Vancouver. If you support the enhancement of Robson Square and pedestrianization of the 800-block and/or the creation of a new plaza at the 600-block of Cambie, this is the time to weigh in and share your thoughts on these proposed changes to the bus network.

How to have your say

The deadline for input is Monday, April 21. The online questionnaire can be accessed here, or by pasting the following link into your browser:

https://www.talkvancouver.com/R.aspx?a=240

You can share your thoughts on the downtown-only routes, as well as the Cambie Bridge and Eastern Corridor routes. (The survey allows you to pick which of the three areas you want to talk about).

As noted above, much of the background information on the Downtown Bus Service Review can be found on the survey website; however if you feel like reading more there’s also an interesting backgrounder and technical paper that offers more details on the pros and cons of different route options.

Please do take a few moments to share your thoughts. This is a key opportunity for downtown public space, and your opinion is important.

The City’s report on the 800-block of Robson is now on-line – and will be discussed in front of Council next Wednesday, November 28. This follows up on a recent consultation on the future of “Block 51” (both the 800-block of Robson and the north plaza of the art gallery.

The report notes that one of the key findings from the recent survey was that “64% of respondents had a preference for 800-block Robson to function as a permanent public space, while 17% preferred a summertime public space and 19% preferred only occasional closures of the street to traffic for special events.” The report concludes that “it is clear that the public’s desire to have a permanent, year-round public square on 800-block Robson is very strong.”

From this, the report makes two key recommendations:

• That the 800-block of Robson Street be re-opened to cars and buses (our emphasis) on December 1, 2012, and that preparations be made for a summer closure aligned with Translink’s regular schedule changes.

• That City staff continue to work on addressing the issues raised by the public and report back to Council on impacts, challenges and opportunities for potentially creating a permanent public square on 800-block Robson Street.

You can read the report here, to understand the City’s rationale for these recommendations. The VPSN will be reviewing the document over the next few days in order to develop a formal response.

Based on our initial assessment of the document, we feel that the second recommendation makes sense (there are outstanding issues that need to be resolved), but the first does not (another opening, another closing and then nothing assured – versus a consistent closure that people can get used to).

As always, please feel free to send your thoughts our way: robsonsquare [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

The Jazz Fest: kicking-off the 2012 closure of the 800-block of Robson Street

Great news on the public space front: the popular 800-block segment of Robson Street (at the south end of the Vancouver Art Gallery) is going to remain a pedestrian-only space through to the end of the year!

The City made the announcement in a media release that went out this afternoon (see below). City staff will be using the time to consult with stakeholders about the permanent closure of the space.

The VPSN strongly supports this decision and commends Mayor and Council for this important move. The VPSN also welcomes the idea of broader consultation on this issue, as key considerations around transit routing and the impact on local business need to be accounted for in any planning for the space.

The 800-block site has proved to be an immensely popular gathering spot. Originally slated for permanent closure during the completion of the Law Courts building (in the late 1970s), the true potential of an expanded Robson Square came to the fore of discussions during the 2010 Olympics.

Since that time, two successful summertime traffic closures have yielded further positive results. Innovative seating structures have been installed (Picnurbia in 2011 and Pop Rocks in 2012), and a roster of markets, food trucks, festivals and buskers have transformed and animated the space for residents and visitors alike.

2011’s Picnurbia installation

The summer of 2012 saw Pop Rocks take over Robson

Public support for this initiative has continued to be strong. In 2011, the VPSN conducted two surveys – designed to measure public support for keeping Robson Square car-free. Over 1800 signatures were gathered in support of the expansion of Robson Square, while just over 40 indicated opposition to the move.

Take a moment to share your thoughts on this issue: consider writing a short email to Mayor Robertson (gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca), Penny Ballem (City Manager) (penny.ballem@vancouver.ca) or Peter Judd (City Engineer) (peter.judd@vancouver.ca). Voicing your support for the expansion of Robson Square will be critical to moving this project forward.

Robson St. pedestrian plaza to remain open;
City staff consulting on longer street closure

The 800 block of Robson Street, between Hornby and Howe, will remain closed to vehicles until the end of the year following another very successful summer as a popular pedestrian plaza.

City staff will continue to discuss a permanent closure of the block with key stakeholders, including the DVBIA and TransLink, before reporting to Council later this fall on a permanent closure.

“For the past two summers, and during the Olympics, this block of Robson has proven to be a hub of activity,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “It’s been a very popular destination for people to enjoy music, impromptu performances, creative types of outdoor seating and a place to relax and enjoy our downtown.

“We have an opportunity to create an important new public plaza in the centre of the Downtown and have a timely opportunity to consider this option.”

The recently installed Pop Rocks seating, part of the VIVA Vancouver summer streets program, will remain in place in the 800 block of Robson through September or as weather permits.

Over the past two summers, VIVA Vancouver has helped bring liveliness and fun to Robson, Granville and other locations around the city with pop-up parks, creative seating installations and local arts and culture activities.

VIVA Vancouver has facilitated the closure of Granville St., between Smithe and Hastings, to create a pedestrian and event corridor featuring special sports and dancing activities, displays, music and places for locals and visitors to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

In December 2010, Vancouver City Council directed staff to examine the creation of a public square in the 800 block of Robson St.

LINK – Gregor Robertson – Mayor of Vancouver Blog