Granville Street Planning Seven Suggestions for Improving the Process
You may have heard that City Council is contemplating a planning process to revitalize Granville Street downtown. This idea was first floated a couple of years ago, and is a positive move. A draft Terms of Reference was discussed by Council on January 18 of this year, and there will be further debate coming up this week.
While we’re generally supportive of the initiative, we feel that the scope of the proposed work could be bolder. From our perspective, the current approach is constrained by two key factors: an unnecessarily limited geographic scope and the need for a stronger, more comprehensive and unified focus on the role of the street as a central public space.
With this in mind, we’re sharing seven key suggestions that we thing would improve the proposed Terms of Reference and result in an improved planning process for this important public space.
(1) Expand the Granville Street study area so that it stretches “shore to shore” across the Downtown Peninsula
As currently envisioned, the proposed planning area covers the five block stretch between Robson Street and Drake Street. This area coincides with policy geographies set out in the Downtown Official Development Plan (DODP) dating from 1975. Given the prominent role that Granville Street plays, the various urban design and transportation considerations at play, and the way visitors and residents actually use the street, we feel this insufficient.
In our opinion, the current focus on the entertainment district would be better served were it to be part of a study area that spanned the full 12 blocks between Granville Square and the Granville Bridge. This would allow for a more integrated consideration of critical rapid transit connections, an assessment of the existing (2009) public realm treatment (which needs to be refreshed), the inclusion of other large rezonings (the Bay, Granville Loops), not to mention the broader public life opportunities that come with treating the street ‘as a whole.’
The street has a number of different character areas, but what makes it exciting is the opportunity to make them work together. We note that the original Council motion (referenced on page 2 of the report) directs staff to deliver “a scope of work and budget for a future planning program for Granville Street Downtown.” This pan-peninsula scope is important.
(2) Bring special attention to key intersections
While the idea of a promenade is important, one of the important features of Granville Street downtown is its centrality on the downtown peninsula. Intersections are key punctuation marks in the sequencing of the street – ones that invites a pause, curiosity, decision, transition and more. They are also, functionally, linkages to and from other key areas – such as Robson Square, the civic facilities of Georgia St, the Davie Street Village.
A larger geography allows for more attention to be put on these core intersections, and suggests the possibility of developing more substantial connections (and related public realm connections) to nearby amenities. Public space is a network – so let’s ensure this program approaches Granville St. with this sort of ‘systems’ thinking.
(3) Ensure laneways are included as part of the planning effort
While the focus of the planning program will be on Granville Street, there is a further opportunity to bring additional focus and attention on improving laneways in the study area, turning these spaces into vibrant people places. Some important initial work has been undertaken by the DVBIA and others, but this planning program could accelerate this work in a more comprehensive fashion.
How can these sizeable areas – often overlooked because of their secondary functions – be enhanced and better integrated into the fabric of the downtown? Done strategically, this could enable additional programming opportunities for restaurants and cultural spaces, or provide additional seating or gathering opportunities. The scale of these areas – often more intimate than the city’s main streets – makes them an important opportunity.
(4) Consider Howe/Seymour transit opportunities
An assessment of opportunities for Granville Street would be further strengthened by incorporating Howe and Seymour into the conversation. During the lengthy construction of the Canada Line, these streets effectively took over bus routing functions that were normally on Granville.
As was noted during the Council discussion, there is only a limited right-of-way on the street. This brings a related challenge in establishing priorities – is the street a bus “mall” or a pedestrian promenade? A space for moving people, or a place for people to linger, gather, spill out of cultural facilities? It is difficult for the street to do both without needing to make compromises. Can we be bolder here? Perhaps it’s time to think about the role of Granville as part of a network of key pedestrian primary streets – in the same vein as current thinking about Water Street, Robson, and other key areas.
(5) Ensure public space is the central focus of the Terms of Reference
It was encouraging to hear staff recognize Granville Street’s long and storied role as a significant public space in the city. Looking forward, a focus on ensuring the highest quality public realm and a thoughtful activation of the street will be critically important.
In our opinion, and given the array of tools that the City has at its disposal, there is a need to better centre the role of public space and public life in the present Terms of Reference. While public space functions are named in a number of ways, there is an opportunity to strengthen the narrative and approach – making public space and public life more of a centrepiece around which other considerations revolve in a clear and integrated fashion.
Reimagining Granville Street as a vibrant 24/7/365 place means a robust and responsive public realm – literally from the ground up. The street needs to look and feel exciting – from its pavers all the way to its overhead features. It requires supporting amenities (bathrooms, weather protection, etc.) to make it inclusive and inviting year-round. It depends on a retail curation and cultural programming strategy that supports public life aspirations. It entails a mix of spaces – shops, restaurants, cultural amenities, public art, no and low cost fun, urban rooms, plazas, green spaces, places to linger – that reflects the diversity of the city’s residents, its history, and its climate and geography (in other words: its uniquely Vancouver context). Most importantly, it also demands City support through a public benefits strategy that isn’t exclusively tied to redevelopment immediately on or adjacent to the street.
This is a more comprehensive undertaking than currently set out in the scope of work, but it will be necessary to include these elements if Granville Street is to realize its full potential. A more integrated, place-based approach to this effort will help with this.
(6) Ensure an inclusive and equitable approach to safety is a key objective
Given some of the key challenges identified on the street, we agree that there needs to be a clearer focus on enhancing safety as a core objective of the work. A revitalized street, with a greater mix of programming and uses will go a long way to achieving this. We also encourage staff to take an approach that centres equity – noting that the identified concerns have a disproportionate impact on women, girls, and low-income individuals who visit and/or live in the area.
Attention to language can also be an important part of this work. The report currently identifies “concerns about people experiencing homeless” (p.5). Given well-documented safety issues facing street-involved individuals, a more inclusive approach should be built into this process. We need a street that is safe for everyone.
(7) Undertake a robust and inclusive engagement process
Our last point: while we understand the intention is to make use of community input provided during other engagement processes, we encourage the City to make sufficient space for people to provide input into this process. We further encourage staff to think of ‘placemaking as process’ – and to investigate ways to use the enhancement of Granville Street public space as a means to invite greater and more varied participation in the important planning work ahead.
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This is an important moment in the history of Granville Street, a time for some boldness and real energy. We hope Council will consider these suggestions as the basis for an amended Terms of Reference – one that modifies the geographic scope, and better centres public space.
