You may have read that Sears is closing its downtown Vancouver store, located in the block bounded by Howe, Granville and Robson. They’ve had the remainder of their lease bought out by property-owner Cadillac-Fairview for the princely sum of $170million… sort of a severance package of sorts, and one that will apparently allow the struggling retailer to focus its efforts on other stores.

This move certainly has gotten people talking. No sooner did we finish reading up on the story than folks started to contact us to pass along the news.

There’s clearly lots of interest in what will happen next. The Globe and Mail, for one, speculated that US-retailer Nordstrom might take over the site. Design-critic Trevor Boddy, on CBC radio this morning, said he felt that the (dare we say “iconic”) building makes an ideal site for the Vancouver Art Gallery expansion. Our pal Gord Price is on deck for an early afternoon interview as well.

The Sears building certainly is notable. It has its fans, to be sure. And it has the distinction of being designed by ‘starchitect’ César Pelli. It’s also listed on the City’s heritage register.

But it also has its detractors – and has been derided as “one of the city’s worst eyesores.” Something we’ve heard a fair bit over the years.

Given the prominence of the building to Robson Square, we’ve enjoyed often wondered what the ‘Sears’ site might be like if the building wasn’t there. It was a question that was on the mind of a number of entrants during our Where’s the Square? Ideas Competition a few years ago.

One of the submissions proposed consolidating the built form of the block to open up the southern half for an expanded public square:

Another entrant envisioned a more arcadian treatment – literally splitting the building in half and opening it up as a multi-level public space

Given the real estate economics behind the lease buy-out, we imagine that neither of these options will be front-of-mind for Cadillac-Fairview. But having said that, it’s still nice to dream…

The York Hotel – on the site of the current Sears Building – CVA 99-3995

The city, after all, is always changing. Before there was Sears there was Eaton’s (in the same building). And before there was Eaton’s there was the old York Hotel. Buildings get built, they last, they change uses. And then? There’s longevity for some and not for others, and the factors that determine these sorts of things aren’t always that easy to predict.

A quick update from today’s City Council session. The motion to turn the 800 block on Robson into a public square has been referred to one of Thursday’s Standing Committee meetings – either City Services and Budgets (9:30am), or Planning & Environment (2:00pm). UPDATE: The motion will be discussed at the City Services and Budgets Meeting (December 2, 9:30am). 

This is a good step – because it means that the motion will now be formally debated. It also means that there is still time for you to have your voice heard on this important initiative – either by sending Mayor and Council a note of support, or by signing up to speak in person on Thursday.

Tonight’s meeting itself was revealing, and gives some idea about the type of discussion that may take place a couple of days from now. Our guess is that, for a variety of reasons, the wholesale adoption of this motion is not going to be as straightforward as some people in the community have envisioned.

For example, members of COPE have expressed some reluctance to support the motion because they feel that it might be redundant. In April of this year, one of their Councillors (David Cadman) introduced a motion that asked for “Saturday and Sunday closures of Robson Street, as during the Olympics” (something the VPSN supported at the time). It’s not clear if this concern will be mitigated during the debate. (Our position on this is that the present motion – asking for the investigation of a permanent closure – appears to be sufficiently different in both scope and geography).

At the same time, there will also likely be a push by Vision Councillors to locate this motion within a larger discussion of Olympic legacies. This has some merit, given that staff were requested (in March 2010) to report back to Council with information on the ways the City could sustain a number of Olympic-style activities (including the streetcar, sports activities and more). There was also some discussion, though not explicit at the time, of public space components being included in this — and indeed, Councillor Cadman’s motion was later tacked on to the work City staff were directed to undertake in this regard. The report has not yet been presented to Council.

We feel that the present motion is actually complementary to both public space programming (a la Cllr. Cadman’s motion) and a larger Olympic legacies discussion. However – and this is key – it also needs to be looked at in and of itself.

Not only is the public space itself very clearly defined under the present motion (a specific, key block vs. “Robson Street”), but what is being asked for is a closure and transformation of the space rather than a temporary Summer Spaces style of programming). We feel that this is an important distinction, because a permanent closure will require a different portfolio of planning, design and resourcing activities.

But more to the point, securing Robson Square is a hot opportunity – because the block in question is presently closed for construction and has already changed traffic patterns in the area. The ‘window’ that this affords is not particularly large. The ideal situation, we feel, is to close the space immediately after the Province’s renovation work is completed. That way, it can be more easily be transitioned into a different use — much the way the Dunsmuir viaduct lane was repurposed for a bike lane (after being closed to car traffic for some time).

For this reason we feel that the best direction Council could take on Thursday would be to direct staff to undertake the appropriate resourcing planning to get the site lined up and secured now, while also directing staff to incorporate the site as a “Quick action” component of an expedited Olympic legacies report. Any work to enhance the space (design work, fundraising, etc.) can then be done in a more involved fashion under the banner of a range of City initiatives (including Olympic Legacies, Greenest City, the upcoming Transportation Plan, and so forth).

How you can help. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to write a letter or email to Council in support of this motion. Encourage others to do the same! Write a short note expressing your support for the creation of a permanent square on the 800 block of Robson, and the closure of Robson Street between Hornby and Howe. It would also be helpful to note in your letter that securing the space would be a good first step in realizing a number of Olympic legacies and public space goals – but that timing is of the essence on this one.

Council can be emailed at mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca.

If you have the time to present your thoughts in person, consider getting on the speakers list by contacting the City Clerk’s office. Phone: 604.873.7276. Email: mayorandcouncil [at] vancouver.ca.

MEDIA COVERAGE

• Vancouver Courier – “City councillor floats downtown public square plan” – December 1, 2010
• CTV News – November 30, 2010 (sorry, couldn’t figure out how to link to the specific clip, but it’s online under BC news.
• City Caucus – “Reclaim Robson Street as a people place” – November 30, 2010
• 24 Hours – “A recipe for instant soul downtown Vancouver” – November 30, 2010
• Vancouver Observer – “A public square for downtown Vancouver” November 27, 2010
• Metro – A Eurostyle square for Robson – November 26, 2010

Next Tuesday, November 30, a very important public space motion will be debated at City Council. We need your help with making some very positive noise about this one.

Councillor Suzanne Anton is introducing a motion to expand Robson Square by closing down Robson Street between Howe and Hornby. This would, in effect, pedestrianize the entire south side of the Art Gallery block and turn it into a larger public gathering place. For proponents of a downtown public square this is an extraordinary opportunity. And given that the site is currently closed off because of other construction, the timing is excellent.

The specific text of the motion requests that:

“[City] staff consult with interested parties, including the general public, TransLink, the Downtown Vancouver BIA, the Robson Street BIA, the Art Gallery, and the Province of BC to consider the feasibility of creating a major public square at the 800 Robson Street, with a permanent closure of the street in that block.”

The VPSN is 100% supportive of this motion. For those of you who have been following our work with the Where’s the Square? initiative will know that we’ve long had our eye on this space (as did many of the designers who submitted plans during our ideas competition). The south end of the VAG is the natural spot for a grand gathering place in the downtown, and the present motion would provide a fantastic opportunity to enhance an already vital public space, making it more accessible, more people-friendly and more vibrant than it already is.

We believe that this motion supports the efforts and interests of all three political parties represented at City Council. It presents an chance to take a positive step forward on a number of fronts. Public gathering places of this sort play an important role in supporting urban sustainability, public health and the local economy.

We need your help to make this happen! Please take a few minutes to contact City Council to let them know that they favour such a motion. A quick letter or email will make all the difference.

Consider doing one of the following:

(1) Write to Mayor and Council and ask them to support the motion to permanently close Robson Street (between Hornby and Howe) and turn it into a public square. By post: Mayor Gregor Robertson and Members of Council, City of Vancouver, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4. By email: mayorandcouncil [at] vancouver.ca. You can also send it to each of the councillors individually: [firstname].[lastname]@vancouver.ca. NOTE: Try to get your letter in as soon as possible. If you want to write to specific members of Council check out this page. Please consider copying us on your correspondence – urbandesign [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

(2) Make a brief presentation to Council. If you have the time to present your thoughts in person, consider getting on the speakers list by contacting the City Clerk’s office. Phone: 604.873.7276. Email: mayorandcouncil [at] vancouver.ca.

A Final Note: The motion will likely be referred to one of the Standing Committees of Council on Thursday, December 2. If you want to speak in person, plan on attending Thursday. The Clerk’s office will provide you more details.

• Expanding Robson Square – Your Help Needed!

Public Space Ideas:

• Your favourite examples of public space animation?

Re-Cap:

• 350 Earth Art Event – Nice Footwork!

Get Involved – Project Meetings:

• December 1 – Volunteer Orientation Meeting
• December 6 – Urban Design Backgrounder Meeting
• December 7 – Transportation Issues Meeting
• December 13 – Public Space & Public Health Project Meeting

Recent Public Space Blog Articles

• November 24 – Cold Weather Public Space
• November 18 – City looks to takes strides on pedestrian safety
• November 17 – Tips for making Vancouver a more walkable city
• November 11 – Have your say on the Park Board’s proposed 2011 Operating Budget
• November 1 – More ATVs for Vancouver beaches?
• October 30 – Halloween Seabus Party – Ghoulishly Excellent!

PUBLIC SPACE ACTION

Expanding Robson Square – Your Help Needed!

Next Tuesday, November 30, a very important public space motion will be debated at City Council. We need your help with making some very positive noise about this one.

Councillor Suzanne Anton is introducing a motion to expand Robson Square by closing down Robson Street between Howe and Hornby. This would, in effect, pedestrianize the entire south side of the Art Gallery block and turn it into a larger public gathering place. For proponents of a downtown public square this is an extraordinary opportunity. And given that the site is currently closed off because of other construction, the timing is excellent.

The specific text of the motion requests that:

“[City] staff consult with interested parties, including the general public, TransLink, the Downtown Vancouver BIA, the Robson Street BIA, the Art Gallery, and the Province of BC to consider the feasibility of creating a major public square at the 800 Robson Street, with a permanent closure of the street in that block.”

The VPSN is 100% supportive of this motion. For those of you who have been following our work with the Where’s the Square? initiative will know that we’ve long had our eye on this space (as did many of the designers who submitted plans during our ideas competition). The south end of the VAG is the natural spot for a grand gathering place in the downtown, and the present motion would provide a fantastic opportunity to enhance an already vital public space, making it more accessible, more people-friendly and more vibrant than it already is.

We believe that this motion supports the efforts and interests of all three political parties represented at City Council. It presents an chance to take a positive step forward on a number of fronts. Public gathering places of this sort play an important role in supporting urban sustainability, public health and the local economy.

We need your help to make this happen! Please take a few minutes to contact City Council to let them know that they favour such a motion. A quick letter or email will make all the difference. Consider doing one of the following:

(1) Write to Mayor and Council and ask them to support the motion to permanently close Robson Street (between Hornby and Howe) and turn it into a public square. By post: Mayor Gregor Robertson and Members of Council, City of Vancouver, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4. By email: mayorandcouncil [at] vancouver.ca. You can also send it to each of the councillors individually: [firstname].[lastname]@vancouver.ca. NOTE: Try to get your letter in as soon as possible.

If you want to write to specific members of Council you can also check out this page.

Please consider copying us on your correspondence – urbandesign [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

(2) Make a brief presentation to Council. If you have the time to present your thoughts in person, consider getting on the speakers list by contacting the City Clerk’s office. Phone: 604.873.7276. Email: mayorandcouncil [at] vancouver.ca.

Note: The motion will likely be referred to one of the Standing Committees of Council on Thursday, December 2. If you want to speak in person, plan on attending Thursday. The Clerk’s office will provide you more details.

(3) Pass the word on. Please let your friends, family and colleagues know about this important motion.

PUBLIC SPACE IDEAS

Your favourite examples of public space animation?

Hey, you’ve seen some cool stuff take place in public space, haven’t you? That crazy public art thing that you encountered on your travels? The book market where you scored that awesome novel that changed your life? The spontaneous flash mob gig that your friends dragged you to? That mardi-gras style street festival where you met those weird-but-friendly tourists who turned out to be so much fun? Ah yes, good public space memories! Good public space.

The VPSN is putting together a presentation of case studies and photo-imagery of the coolest public space animation, urban interventions, and used of city space that we can find. We’ve got examples we like to use… but we’re sure you all have some equally awesome ones that you like as well. Actually, we’re hoping that you might be able to share them with us.

What we’re looking for: Photos or illustrations of cool public space interventions and animations from your travels at home or abroad. Also, a brief description – a sentence or two – of where the photo was taken and what it’s of. We’ll credit you for your masterful documentation skills as part of our work.

:: Please send any images to andrew [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

RE-CAP!

350 Earth Art Event – Nice Footwork!

The Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN) recently had the opportunity to join some 20 other cities across the world taking part in 350.org’s EARTH art project — creating a public art piece that speaks to the scale of the challenge we are facing with climate change. As part of an awareness raising venture linked to the upcoming climate negotiations in Cancun, 350.org struck a deal with a satellite company to take photos of each city’s art piece from 480 miles above the earth’s surface!

The VPSN teamed up with local artists, Josh Hite and Justine Chambers, who shared an interest in the 350 Earth message, and came up with the concept of a giant footprint – one that might just be large enough to be seen from space.

The footprint concept touches a number of themes that are closely tied to the issue of climate change: The image is a visual pun on the concept of an ‘ecological footprint’ – a concept that was developed at UBC and coined by Bill Rees in 1992, as a means of estimating one’s total demand of ecological resources. The art piece was conceived as a ‘shoe print’, and not a bare foot, to reflect the fact that we are living and acting in an urban environment, and that it is in this way that we leave a distinct mark in our wake.

A big thank you to the 100+ volunteers that joined us at David Lam Park on an unseasonably cold and snowy morning last weekend to help with the project. While the satellite had some difficulty penetrating the clouds, we got some awesome aerial photographs from both the nearby condo towers and from a float plane that did a fly-by for us.

:: Check out the images on the VPSN Flickr page

GET INVOLVED – PROJECT MEETINGS

December 1 – Volunteer Orientation

A monthly orientation meeting about the VPSN’s mission, what we do, and how we do it. Open to the public. Takes place at SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St.

:: RSVP to erin [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca to receive room information

December 6 – Urban Design Backgrounder Meeting

Our last Urban Design Working Group meeting was a roaring success. One of the outcomes of that session was a follow-up gathering for volunteers who are specifically interested in working on one of our foundation documents/backgrounders on urban design and public space, or, one of upcoming position papers on current urban design ‘issues’. If you have a knack for research or writing, consider coming out to this session and lending a hand.

:: To RSVP and get meeting details – scott [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

December 7 – Transportation Issues Meeting

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Transportation Working Group meeting that convened folks interested in walking, biking, public transit and more. This is it! If you’ve got interests in any or all of the aforementioned issues, or ideas about other connections between transportation and public space, please join us as we brainstorm some new projects and reenergize some of our current work

:: To RSVP – demian [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

December 13 – Public Space & Public Health Project Meeting

The VPSN has recently assembled a project team of volunteers who are interested in the connection(s) between public health and public space. Part of our work will be scoping out and developing a set of backgrounders to explore the points of overlap between these areas, as well as other advocacy materials and creative activities to help promote a healthy urban environment.

:: For meeting details or more info – andrew [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca.

RECENT PUBLIC SPACE BLOG ARTICLES

November 24 – Cold Weather Public Space
The last few days have seen the mercury drop to a near-record cold in this city. Not the sort of cold that phases folks from Calgary, Montreal or other parts of the country, but chilly enough to cause some locals the sort of pained expression normally reserved for a Leafs game or discussions of Tea Party politics….

November 18 – City looks to takes strides on pedestrian safety
A well-designed pedestrian environment improves public health, and public safety, increases the animation of public space, and improves the overall sustainability of the city. For these and other reasons, we were pleased to see Mayor Gregor Robertson introduce a motion at last Tuesday’s Council Meeting calling for improved safety for pedestrians.

November 17 – Tips for making Vancouver a more walkable city
Last month a few members of VPSN attended a seminar entitled “Walking the Talk” that was facilitated by Walk21′s Dr. Rodney Tolley. Dr. Tolley is one of the giants in sustainable transportation research and has written a number of influential articles and books such as “The Greening of Urban Transport: Planning for Walking and Cycling in Western Cities” which is well worth a read!

November 11 – Have your say on the Park Board’s proposed 2011 Operating Budget
The Parks Board has published the proposed changes for their 2011 Fees and Charges (with appendix) to help balance the city’s projected $20 million deficit. There is a general 4 per cent increase across the board to all fees and charges, which translates to increased admission and usage charges…

November 1 – More ATVs for Vancouver beaches?
All things considered, Vancouver’s beaches are pretty safe spaces. They’re particularly well used during the summer months, and the actual layout of the spaces – wide tracts of sunny sand – enables a form of natural person-to-person surveillance. Folks people watch and look at — and out — for one another. Had she been asked, Jane Jacobs might have called the formula “eyes on the beach.”

October 30 – Halloween Seabus Party – Ghoulishly Excellent!
Tonight’s iteration of the annual event saw us animate the Seabus for a ride over to North Vancouver, wander over to the amazing new public pier for a dance party, and then return to Vancouver. Two hours of condensed public space excitement for the low price of a single-zone transit ticket.

Earlier this summer the VPSN’s Animating Public Space Design Charette brought the winners of the Where’s the Square ideas competition together to generate ideas about how to activate a downtown space. The event built on the WTS design competition to devise ways to have fun in public space.

Celebration = people + place

As part of the VPSN’s overarching mission, Feeding Vancouver’s Soul has the goal of generating a concrete example of an animated public space in Vancouver. The result will begin to articulate what constitutes a successful public space and how we can plan for better public spaces; and raise awareness about the need for a grand gathering space in Vancouver.

Why food?

As the name “Feeding Vancouver’s Soul” indicates, food goes beyond the physical. Vancouver is home to a unique food culture that emerges from the cultural diversity and fusion. In addition, shared eating is both a universal and bonding experience.

• Sociability – The presence of food enlivens space and encourages interaction
• Unity – Food has universal appeal and embodies the variety and integration of our diverse cultures and communities
• Abundance – Demonstrate the wealth of local food and local food culture we have access to while supporting local business

The event will celebrate the diversity of Vancouver’s cultures, communities, and neighborhoods. In addition, sustainability will be incorporated into the event through composting, recycling, and waste reduction.

Get Involved!

A lot of help is needed to prepare the grant application, plan the event, and put it on! Email Caroline [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca to find out more…

Blame the great outdoors, but Vancouver lacks a central square — a place for citizens to turn inward and for visitors to feel that they have arrived.

It’s not the first time that these sorts of comments have been made, but as the Olympics roll-out across the city, it seems a timely reminder about the roll that grand public squares play in other cities.

At peak times, the downtown core of Vancouver will be seeing between 100,000 and 200,000 visitors pouring in — to catch sporting events, visit Live Sites and pavilions, and wind their way through the city’s streets and public spaces.

Granville Street and the Robson corridor between Granville and Burrard will be acting as stand-ins for our ‘missing’ downtown square. The pedestrianization of these two streets and there transformation into linear ‘squares’ was a critical step in creating sufficient gathering space for the crowds of Olympic enthusiasts.

Of course it’s a moot point to ask how these Games could play out if we had a larger central public square to add to the mix. ‘Sides, it would sound needlessly grumbly on our part (though for those who are interested, some of the lively possibilities for public gathering space are, in fact, well-profiled in the entries to our Where’s the Square? design competition.)

Our hope rather, is that the Olympic Games show us once and for all that we actually deserve the sort of central gathering space in Vancouver that you find in other cities. Temporarily pedestrianized streets are wonderful, but something more permanent and even more conducive to large public gatherings would be ideal. We may not get the Olympics again, but there’s no need to turn our back on other large gatherings.

At times during our Where’s the Square? Design Competition we heard a line of argument that suggested that the City and its residents were too focused on the mountains to want a central public square. This argument always seemed a bit dubious to us (what? Vancouverites aren’t capable of liking and partaking in both types of space?).

It’s only been a few days, but the Olympics have already shown us a different side to the city’s public life. Want a good legacy for the Games? Let’s make this the year that we finally get serious about planning for a central public square.