Is Vancouver Getting a New Central Plaza? Maybe

Could Vancouver be getting a new public plaza in the near future?

Well, kinda.

City councillors vote this week to determine whether a key block of Robson Street in the heart of Robson Square will be closed to vehicle traffic for good, creating an expansive new public space in the heart of the city.

Currently, the 800-block of Robson Street – located directly behind the Vancouver Art Gallery, between Hornby and Howe Streets – is cordoned off during summer months and turned into a pedestrian friendly space. The rest of the year, however, the block is busy with car and bus traffic, as vehicles make their way to and from the West End.

But critics have long pointed out that the block should be permanently closed to traffic. For starters, the original designer of Robson Square, Arthur Erickson, had always intended it that way. The square was meant to be one continuous open space, stretching from the Vancouver Art Gallery all the way to the Law Courts. However, shortly after Robson Square was inaugurated in the 1970s, buses and vehicles were allowed back on the street.

Today, the 800-block of Robson Street remains a key pedestrian route, year-round. According to a city report, more pedestrians travel the block in an average day than vehicles. During the summers, when it’s closed to traffic, the block is transformed by VIVA Vancouver, a city program, into an inviting outdoor gathering space, with benches and art installations. It also hosts concerts and attracts street food vendors and an array of street performers, becoming a hub for downtown activity.

Those kind of spaces are in short supply in Vancouver. A city council report notes that Vancouver currently lacks a central square, an emblematic gathering place equivalent to Trafalgar Square in London or the Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

But there are potential drawbacks to closing the stretch of Robson Street to traffic for good. The key #5 Robson/Downtown bus route would be affected, and cars would need to find alternate routes to access the popular Robson Street shopping district.

City council will vote on the fate of the 800-block of Robson Street on Wednesday, April 20. If council approves the project, a full report on future plans should be issued in December.