NEWS: Where’s the Public Square?

By Think City Staff

Great cities design their public spaces to embrace the milestone events in the life of the community. But in Vancouver, where do we gather as citizens to celebrate our achievements, honour our heroes, demonstrate our concerns, or mourn our losses?

The Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN), a non-profit group that focuses on expanding, animating, greening and protecting the integrity of the public space in Vancouver, has recently wrapped up their Where’s the square? Ideas and design competition. Since the creation of the VPSN in 2006, the group has advocated for a public square in Vancouver, noting that Vancouver is lacking the kind of grand gathering place that marks other great cities such as the Piazza Navona in Rome or the Plaza Hidalgo in Mexico City.

To raise awareness regarding the need for a grand public gathering place in Vancouver, the VPSN initiated a design contest to draw out innovative ideas. What a good public square would look like in our city? Where it would be? How it would function?

The design competition not only allowed the VPSN to encourage the creation of diverse designs for a public square in Vancouver, but also helped the group raise awareness about the importance of public squares and their role in encouraging civic interaction and vibrancy. As part of the design competition the VPSN hosted a number of public events. These included a consultation around what makes a good public square, walking tours, lectures, an event to present the shortlist of entries, and finally, an event to announce the winners of the design contest.

Over fifty entries were submitted to the design competition; each included a detailed drawing of its location and design, along with a written description of the square and its intended functions. The entries were assessed by a set of criteria that included: the location, dimension, accessibility and utility of the square, the programming for the square, and the overall presentation and creativity of the submission.

A jury comprised of six experts, who were drawn from relevant fields such as urban design and architecture, decided upon a winner. In addition, the public was invited to vote for one of the short-listed entries, and this process chose the winners of the two people’s choice awards.

In a unanimous decision by the jury, “the Band” submitted by Mark Ashby Architecture and Greenskins Lab was chosen as the winning submission.  Their concept reached from the edge of downtown towards False Creek connecting important focal points in the city such as the library, the potential location for the new Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG), and the seawall. It also included green aspects such as community gardens, while providing facilities for community activities and commerce.

In addition to the jury selection, the two winners of the people’s choice awards were:

1. The Vancouver carpet by Hapa Collaborative which was a square bound by Georgia, Hornby and Howe that re-imagined the current VAG and courthouse, and
2. The Waterfront Square by Michael Alexander and Michael Painter/MPA design, which outlined a grand public square at Granville and Cordova, that featured a view of the water and mountains as well as proximity to a major transit hub.  

For more information on the Where’s the Square? competition and its next steps please visit here.