In an effort to address the absence of a comprehensive approach regarding our public spaces in Vancouver, the City has announced the Downtown Places and Spaces Strategy. This follows on VIVA Vancouver, the program behind public space initiatives like Robson Redux and the Parklet Program, whereby private businesses sponsor public seating areas outside storefronts. The new strategy will help the City determine what kind of spaces are needed in our downtown while providing a framework for prioritizing and coordinating their delivery. The strategy currently only covers neighbourhoods on the downtown peninsula, but the Downtown Eastside, False Creek Flats and the communities south of False Creek will be included in future phases.

Public and private

The strategy will seek opportunities for the creation of public spaces on both publicly and privately owned land, specifically looking at street rights-of-way, including plazas, sidewalks, parklets, laneways and the spaces in front of retail and office buildings. A more concerted effort to activate downtown’s open spaces will address the concern that increased density and redevelopment in Vancouver are resulting in a loss of public space. Many office and retail buildings provide welcoming spaces through the provision of pedestrian shelter, patios and plazas. In recognition of this, the strategy will find ways to retain and encourage these privately owned public spaces.

Urban Pasture Parklet outside of Café Crêpe, Robson Street, Vancouver. Photo: Steve Chou under Creative Commons 

Data collection

Part of the process will be an inventory of current public spaces in the city and how these spaces are being used. The Standing Committee of Council on Policy and Strategic Priorities recommended that the work of the Vancouver Public Space Network be acknowledged in this regard and that the strategy be informed by the knowledge and data already gathered. A “public space and public life” study, to be conducted this summer, will help the city collect data while engaging Vancouverites in the planning of the strategy. The public can also expect the implementation of pilot projects throughout the downtown in order to test ideas and provide “action while planning.”

Pop-ups

Right now, the City is offering a funding opportunity for pop-up projects that will help activate and reimagine public spaces. An applicant can apply for up to $5,000 to implement an idea. Proposed projects must be:

• Interesting, fun, and engaging
• Easy to set-up and move
• Deliverable within the budget and timeframe

As part of their pop-ups, successful applicants will be asked to include in their projects a short survey for the public. Feedback from this survey will help the City gather input on future public space initiatives.

For more details and to apply, visit the City’s website here. Applications are due by 5 PM on April 28, 2017.

All photos by Creative Commons license

The Robson Redux Design Exhibit is on until March 15th.

You can help with the process! This is the second year that the City has held a competition – Robson Redux – to select the winning design, and the jury-based selection will be informed by a people’s choice voting process.

According to organizers, over 80 design submissions were received from around the world for this year’s contest. They’re going to be on display at the Museum of Vancouver for two weeks between February 28 and March 15, and you can cast a ballot for your favourite entry. The Robson Redux exhibition is included in the cost of regular admission to the Museum.

There’s lots of interest in this initiative, so be sure to mark your calendars and check it out. For the enthusiasts: a launch event on March 6 is already sold out and running a waitlist. There’s also a public talk on the design competition by the City’s Scott Edwards on March 5.

For the second year in a row, the City of Vancouver is holding a design competition to support the seasonal activation of the block between Hornby and Howe. The aim is to improve and expand the already popular Robson Square area, fully pedestrianizing this important public space, and animating it for residents and visitors alike.

If you’re interested in working on a design, you may want to check out the Information Session that the City is hosting on Monday, January 12.

Join VIVA Vancouver for an inspiring information session on how to get your design concept noticed by the judges. Learn about a few changes we’ve made to the design brief and meet last year’s winning team and hear about their experiences. Don’t have a full team yet? No problem! The event will provide an opportunity for designers and artists to meet and mingle.

The Info Session takes place 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The event is free, but to help with planning, the City is asking folks to register.

While you’re at it, you may also want to check out the vivadesigncomp.ca webpage – where you can find the design brief, as well as information on the submission process (including all important deadlines).

The first Robson Redux competition, which took place earlier this year, saw the City receive almost 80 submissions from around the world. The winning design, a sweeping skeletal seating arrangement known as “Urban Reef” was created by a local design team comprised of Kaz Bemner, Jeremiah Deutscher, Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra. Like earlier summertime installations on Robson Square, it proved to be quite a popular feature with residents and visitors alike.

People seated at Urban Reef – winning entry in the 2014 Robson Redux design competition.

We’re looking forward to seeing the array of submissions that come with this years competition. Designers: sharpen your pencils. Show us your chops!

For those interested in more details, here’s the Information Bulletin that the City issued:

Calling public space designers: Create a summer stunner
VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition returns

VIVA Vancouver will open its 800 Robson Street space to the creative community once again with Robson Redux, a design-build competition that invites emerging and professional designers and artists to submit their design ideas related to the theme of “connection”. The winner will make their design a reality, building and installing it for the 2015 summer season as a public space for people to enjoy.

VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition temporarily transforms the 800 block of Robson Street into a summertime pedestrian plaza. This block is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada. Installation will take place in early summer, open on Canada Day (July 1, 2015) and remain in place until the end of Labour Day long weekend (September 7, 2015).

The winning design will be selected by a jury composed of Marc Boutin (Principal, Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative and Associate Professor, University of Calgary), Barbara Cole (Principal of Cole Projects, Executive Director of Other Sights for Artists’ Projects Association), Jane Durante (Founding Principal, Durante Kreuk Landscape Architects), Stanley King (Founder and Head of Co-Design Group), Matthew Soules (Director, Matthew Soules Architecture and Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia). The winning team will be provided a small design honorarium and up to $40,000 to cover costs of materials, fabrication, construction, installation and de-installation for their projects.

Anyone may enter this competition, however, criteria and submission requirements lend themselves to expertise in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, industrial design, contemporary art and other related fields. The competition encourages design teams with diverse skill sets to submit joint entries.

Teams can submit their designs ideas online at www.vivadesigncomp.ca for a small fee. Deadline to register is January 30, 2015; submission deadline is February 13, 2015.

Past temporary public space designs at 800 Robson Street include:

• 2011: PICNURBIA – designed by Loose Affiliates
• 2012: Pop Rocks! – designed by AFJD Studio and Matthew Soules
• 2013: Corduroy Road – designed by Hapa Collaborative
• 2014: Urban Reef – designed by Kaz Bremner, Jeremiah Deutscher, and Higher Works (Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra).

VIVA Vancouver is a public space program that specializes in turning road spaces into people places. Working with various community partners, the program re-purposes road space to create temporary or semi-permanent public spaces.

Urban Reef, the design shown above, was the jury’s choice and will receive a $40,000 honorarium to cover the building and placement of the installation. The design is the brainchild of Kaz Bemner, Jeremiah Deutscher, Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra.

You can read the City’s media release on the subject below. There’s also a great interview with the designers in Spacing Magazine.

The winner of the People’s Choice award has also been announced:

With the award going to to “Tempo Vancouver,” submitted by an international team from Toronto, Stockholm and Tehran.

There were 79 excellent designs submitted for the competition – a testament to the strong interest in expanding Robson Square and enhancing this important public space. Big kudos to all the designers who took the time to participate in this initiative!

City of Vancouver Media Release: Swim the “Urban Reef” this summer at 800-Robson Street

The 800-block of Robson Street will become an “Urban Reef” this summer. The winning submission to the Robson Redux design-build competition was selected among 78 entries from as far afield as Spain, Japan and the US.

Urban Reef is a sculpture that invites people to sit, relax and play. The shape is a series of sections that morph into one another to create a dynamic form that sparks curiosity and invites exploration. The design was created by Kaz Bemner, Jeremiah Deutscher, Michael Siy and Kenneth Navarra – a team of local architects, designers and carpenters.

Installation of Urban Reef will take place in early summer, and it will be accessible from Canada Day (July 1) through Labour Day long weekend (September 1).

A jury reviewed submissions considering creativity, design originality, feasibility and this year’s theme of “connection.” Jury members included Matthew Blackett (Founder and Publisher, Spacing Magazine), Amber Frid-Jimenez (Principal, AFJD and Associate Professor Emily Carr University of Art and Design), Nick Milkovich (Principal, Nick Milkovich Architects), Margot Long (Principal, PWL) and Ken Lyotier (Founder, United We Can).

A design honorarium and up to $40,000 will cover costs of materials, fabrication, construction, installation and de-installation.

The competition’s People’s Choice winner is “Tempo Vancouver” submitted by an international team from Toronto, Stockholm and Tehran.

VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition invited emerging and professional designers to submit their design ideas for turning Robson Street into a pedestrian place. A public space program, VIVA Vancouver works with community partners to turn road spaces into temporary or semi-permanent public places. For the past three years, the 800-block of Robson has transformed throughout the summer months to encourage people to slow down, pause and connect with each other in an inviting urban setting.

To see images of the winning design, visit www.vivadesigncomp.ca/view/?ID=1162

Downtown Bus Service Review

Last year, Translink initiated a review of Vancouver’s downtown bus network (the routes and connections of buses and community shuttles operating on the downtown peninsula). The intent of this review is to facilitate better linkages between downtown neighbourhoods, improved connection to Canada Line facilities, and greater reliability of service.

Part of the motivation for this work also relates to key public space initiatives:

• The opportunity to expand Robson Square and transform the 800-block of Robson into a pedestrian-only space;
• The potential relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the possibility of closing the 600-block of Cambie Street;
• Potential changes to the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts and the North East False Creek area.

The Bus Service Review is an important opportunity. 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. Equally importantly, it has the potential to play a significant part in the creation of some excellent new public spaces for the city.

This is particularly true in the case of an expanded Robson Square. Summertime re-routing of the #5 bus (to accommodate the temporary public space on the 800-block) has been a cause for concern among some West End residents. The VPSN has been calling for an exploration of alternatives that would enable these concerns to be addressed. Thanks to the Bus Service Review, we now have some options to look at – including some temporary measures to support the summertime transformation of Robson.

On April 2, Translink released a set of network design concepts for public review. The concepts feature alternative and enhanced routes for much of the downtown peninsula, as well as some eastern corridor routes (those routes coming in and out of downtown along Hastings, Powell and other east-side streets). The various options are assessed in an accompanying Technical Summary document, which reviews the various pros and cons associated with each. Of note: each of the alternatives also features a specific scenario relating to the expansion and pedestrianization of Robson Square.

Translink is asking for your opinion on these ideas. Please lend a hand by attending a public open house or sharing your thoughts online.

Open House Dates

There are three upcoming events (one also took place this past weekend) where you can weigh in with your thoughts. These take place:

• Wednesday, April 9; 3-6pm – Woodward’s Atrium
• Thursday, April 10; 3-6pm – Roundhouse Community Centre
• Saturday, April 12; 11am-2pm – VPL Central Library

Online

You can also review open house materials and share your ideas at via an online questionnaire – both available at translink.ca/downtownbusreview. Deadline for input is Monday, April 21, 2014.

One of 79 ideas for transforming the 800-block – part of the Robson Redux Design Competition

Robson Redux

Earlier this year, the City of Vancouver launched Robson Redux, a design completion to “build and install a temporary public space installation that will transform the iconic 800 block of Robson St. in downtown Vancouver into a pedestrian plaza for the duration of summer 2014.”

This will be the fourth straight year that Vancouverites (and visitors) will get to play in an expanded Robson Square. Previous transformations included “Picnurbia” (2011), “Pop Rocks” (2012) and “Courderoy Road” (2013). However, 2014 marks the first year that the design competition format is being used.

There are two awards being given – the Jury Selection and the People’s Choice award, and last Thursday, the City held a wildly successful event at the Vancouver Art Gallery that launched the public voting component. With a total of 79 different concepts in play, it is fair to say that a tremendous amount of creativity has been brought to bear on the creation of a vibrant summertime space.

You can view all of the concepts – and choose your favourites – online. The deadline for People’s Choice voting is Sunday April 13.