From Public Space to Public Place
How can we bring Victoria’s underutilized downtown spaces to life?
INDEX
Introduction
This is a report by the Public Spaces and Connections Working Group (PSCWG) of the Downtown 2020 Conference Series, which was presented by the Downtown Victoria Community Alliance(DVCA). The Successful Downtown, in November 2003, and Making the Future Happen, in March 2004, brought together urban planning experts from the region and across North America. They shared their ideas and successes with residents, business owners, community groups and social services organizations representing people of diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds, who share in common a concern for the future of downtown Victoria. The shared focus of the PSCWG members, all volunteers, was to identify and study successful public intersections—i.e. places where people interact—and corridors in the city’s urban core. Using this information, the group then analyzed less successful adjoining locations that interrupt the flow of public life downtown. The group studied and discussed downtown Victoria from the perspective of urban design and community development, as well as from the point-of-view of long-time Victoria area residents.
Participants included:
- Franc D’Ambrosio MRAIC MAIBC (Co-Chair)
- Roger Tinney PIBC (Co-Chair)
- Neil Barman
- Crosland Doak BCSLA
- John Luton
- Maeve Lydon
- Cathy Martin
- Erica Sangster
- Carrie Smart
- Kerri Ward
The group brings a fresh perspective to and an appreciation of existing research and plans by City Planning and other departments. The PSCWG considers the plans, urban design, guidelines and other documented strategies for Downtown Victoria produced by and for the City, as precedents; stepping-stones toward the overall goal of making a better downtown for Victoria and the Capital Region.
Group members consulted representatives of the City of Victoria to review projects already complete or underway, in order to determine what needs to be done. Information on guidelines for city beautification, as well as unexecuted initiatives and plans, indicated a lack of funding for downtown planning and improvements, or a comprehensive urban design coordination of the downtown core. Similarly, a discussion with the Parks Department identified a list of small improvement projects underway, but pointed to the absence of any integrated plan to develop new downtown parks or greenway links to existing parks adjacent to downtown.
Purpose
This report is intended to be a catalyst for a Downtown Victoria Urban Design Plan. It is a call for a renewed effort on the part of the City of Victoria to develop urban design guidelines (among other initiatives) for downtown. One of the purposes of this document is to appeal to those who care about Victoria as a livable City, to work together as well as individually in their own area of interest. It is a step toward the improvement of Downtown Victoria for the present and for future generations.
The Present: Downtown Victoria as the Living Room of the City
“People live, work, shop and enjoy themselves in the city. This mix is decisive for the City’s combined vitality, because activities are constantly blended and woven together. The balance, mixture and integration of various user groups and activities is key to making a city attractive”.1
In 1986, Victoria’s Municipal Council adopted an Official Community Plan (OCP) emphasizing the importance of Downtown’s growth and vitality to the municipalities of Greater Victoria, with a focus on the economic and social interdependency of the City and the Capital Regional District, and Downtown’s centrality to that interdependency.
“It is imperative that Downtown Victoria enhance its role as the primary business and shopping area of the Capital Region in order to counter the challenges to its primacy….”
The historic urban character, pedestrian accessibility and human scale of the city centre are also important aspects of the almost 15-year-old community plan for Downtown Victoria. Amended versions of the OCP were published in 1995 and 1999, and a small number of refinements were made. The goals for Downtown Victoria remained the same. They generally supported a mixed-use, central core with significant regional importance. Despite encouraging references to a “harbour” city, and the emphasis on the potential for a harbourfront character, the OCP did not fully recognize the important potential of the harbour as an integral part of downtown.
An overall open space strategy, one that considers the nature and size of the public domain, is also absent. Streets are generally considered solely as conduits for vehicles, and parking is cited as one of the most important elements of the future success of downtown. This is one of the strong indications that the OCP and other planning and design documents pertaining to downtown are somewhat dated. Attitudes and paradigms have changed. Useful, interesting analysis was presented, but issues relevant to downtown Victoria today, and recent innovations in urban planning and design, now require the plan’s renewal in both detail and commitment.
In 1992, an important document pertaining to the form and character of downtown was produced for the City of Victoria. The Downtown Victoria “Beautification Strategy” was revised and adopted in January of 1995. This strategy is an important piece of urban design and was produced by an inter-disciplinary team in consultation with City Planning and citizen groups. It covers issues of form, character, mixed-use, and the importance of public space and public connections that are the framework of downtown.
Some of the issues raised, ideas discussed and guidelines and recommendations offered, have influenced the aesthetic aspects of the public realm in downtown Victoria. While encouraging, this is not enough. While street light standards, trees, colours and paving textures are important; implementation of more significant recommendations of the 1995 strategy has been slow and intermittent. This may be due to a lack of available funding and perhaps an inability of the City of Victoria to coordinate private development with improvement of public space. The endorsement and partial implementation of the Downtown Victoria Beautification Strategy by the City’s Planning Department indicates a commitment to its realization. The Downtown Victoria 2020 Conference brought to light the need for the City to encourage, support and facilitate a multi-disciplinary team led by the Planning Department, which will update, expand and implement the ideas and recommendations contained in the 1990 O.C.P., the 1990 Downtown plan, the Guzzi-Perry + Associates Downtown Victoria Beautification Strategy document of 1992.
2020: The Not-so-distant Future
It’s 2020 and Downtown Victoria’s sidewalks are busy with people walking to and from their homes, offices and businesses. The sidewalks are one part of an extensive network of public pathways and open spaces that extend from Rock Bay and the western or upper harbour, to North Park and Harris Green, to the edge of Beacon Hill Park, the Legislative Precinct and Laurel Point, to the Inner harbour’s water’s edge walkway. Within this perimeter, the streets serve as shared pathways, lacing through and defined by both historic and contemporary architecture. The streets, lanes, arcades and alleys link together numerous squares and courtyards interspersed among the downtown buildings. Paved public squares and small green parks alternate with semi-private courts and interior atria to provide places to pause, sit and enjoy the social atmosphere of the region’s busy retail and business centre.
The public streets permit the smooth flow of vehicles, but they have been calmed; drivers move through downtown knowing that once they park their car they can walk to all the services they need within 10 or 15 minutes. In addition, they can do so passing through streets where trees, benches and other features make a setting for face-to-face encounters with others in the community. The presence of private cars downtown has also been reduced thanks to a greatly enhanced, accessible public transit system that is convenient and efficient.
Objectives + Priorities
There are a number of objectives that can contribute to improving Downtown Victoria over the next fifteen or sixteen years. They can help realize aspirations expressed in the last decade’s official planning documents, and those iterated and endorsed at the Downtown Victoria 2020 Conferences. These objectives are divided into three categories:
- Policy
- Process
- Projects
Policy
The role of the City in implementing changes:
• Reaffirm the goals and objectives of the OCP and related planning documents. Renew, update and reinforce a mandate for public space and property.
• Reaffirm and preserve the architectural character of the city. This includes street front and other public interfaces with private development, building height, site planning and the design of spaces in-between buildings.
• Renew the commitment to develop and fund projects for the public realm.
• Support the municipal government’s renewed focus on downtown’s city planning and urban design with a well-funded, multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, experienced and integrated task force merging planning, urban design, engineering, parks public art and economic and social planning personnel.
Process
Civic leadership that achieves good urban design downtown:
The urban design task force, made up of decision-makers from relevant City departments, would define, design and implement upgrades for the improvement and expansion of the public realm Downtown. To achieve this, a number of priority actions must be taken. They are:
• Develop and implement a program of traffic calming for all downtown streets and intersections.
• Develop guidelines to encourage a continuous street/sidewalk level frontage made up of storefronts, office and residential entrances and other visible activities.
• Develop designs and guidelines for a linked network of thoroughfare walkways with arcades, alleys, lanes, courtyards and pocket parks.
• Develop a continuous water’s edge walkway connected with the downtown streets.
• Develop urban design guidelines for new buildings and sites.
• Develop programming and commission public projects to maintain a momentum of development and improvement of the downtown public realm.
Projects
Moving forward with implementation and renewal
The most effective way for the Working Group to contribute to the ideas and initiatives recommended above, is to suggest projects that could be initiated and implemented by the City. These improvement projects would have the effect of setting an example for the private sector, demonstrating the commitment of civic government to downtown. The City would encourage and build on the public spirit and civic responsibility that emerged during the Downtown Victoria 2020 conferences. It is recommended that the City of Victoria provide the leadership with the objective of developing plans and implementing initiatives toward making a better Downtown Victoria.
The following are short, mid, and long-term projects for the coming years:
- Blue Bridge Junction Park at Johnson Street and Wharf
- Public Spaces Network/ Oriental Hotel Courtyard
- Boom-a-rang Alley and Bastion Square
- Harbourfront Walkway
- Downtown Transit
- Surface Parking Improvement
- Public Art Downtown
- CityRoom
Blue Bridge Junction Park
Access and Linkages
Blue Bridge Junction is a key gateway between Downtown Victoria and communities to the west. It connects routes in Victoria with regional cycling and walking trails such as the Galloping Goose, the West Song Walkway and the proposed Waterfront Walkway.
Traffic calming measures should be adopted to allow vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to coexist safely in this busy space. Cycling and pedestrian facilities should be comfortable and convenient with bicycle parking available at all destinations. Sidewalks should provide ample room for people to stroll side-by-side. Innovative surface treatments and sidewalk extensions should emphasize pedestrian priority and safety. Crossings should be level and functional for people in wheelchairs and motorized scooters.
Comfort and Image
Blue Bridge Junction would complement the vibrancy of distinctive downtown areas such as Market Square, Bastion Square, Chinatown and Government Street. Interactive public art will draw people to the Junction. People should have unhampered access to the waterfront, one of the city’s most important open spaces. Formerly abandoned buildings could be rehabilitated and made to house thriving retail ventures and derelict land should be converted into park space. (As part of its Sustainable Victoria program, the City has implemented ecological urban design practices. Where parking has been proposed, green paving is the standard and contributes to the beauty of this urban place).
Use and Activities
Blue Bridge Junction can be a vibrant civic park in downtown Victoria. It could be an important social and recreational space for a growing downtown residential population and for visitors to the city. People will gather here to meet friends and bump into acquaintances as they pass through. Ample seating would provide people of all ages with a welcoming place to relax, watch passersby, and enjoy a bite to eat. A “play plaza” would offer the chance to join in a spontaneous game with friends or strangers.
Navigation through Blue Bridge Junction could be eased with effective way-finding signs. Residents and tourists alike would respond well to bold and clear maps that display the location of walkways, bike connections and prominent attractions in the downtown core and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Public Spaces Networks
The Oriental Hotel Courtyard
As redevelopment of downtown buildings and sites occurs it will be increasingly important to maintain and enhance the authentic historic architectural fabric and character of this heritage-rich part of downtown Victoria. The network of streets and other public rights-of-way such as alleys and lanes must be integrated with the emerging design context of larger private buildings and open spaces. Institutional and public landownership could lead the way by promoting and facilitating investment in development of an urban infrastructure of public and private elements.
This proposed project is offered as an example of such development.
Located off the reopened Oriental Alley and behind the historically important Oriental Hotel, the Courtyard would form part of the network of pedestrian pathways and passages between Bastion Square and Market Square in Downtown Victoria’s historic district. It would be a step away from the current stagnant condition of this interesting and important area and, hopefully, a catalyst for its continuing revitalization.
The currently gritty space, formed behind the buildings along Yates, Government, Johnson and Wharf Streets, could be revived to become an urban oasis. The concept is for a verdant landscape emerging through the hard fabric of the city. Some of the surrounding buildings have been given to The University of Victoria. The potential uses of the heritage architecture are numerous and varied. These uses could include hotel and a culinary college, historic research studios, arts facilities, restaurants, entertainment venues and, perhaps, residences.
Boomerang Alley and Bastion Square
Following a recommendation by a member of the City of Victoria Planning Department in November 2003, the Public Spaces and Connections Working Group selected Bastion Square as an example of a public space in the downtown core in need of improvement. Some areas of the square were used successfully while others remained unused, creating issues of safety, aesthetics and lost economic opportunities. Boomerang Alley, an area between the Yates Street parkade and the Maritime Museum, was noted as particularly problematic.
A plenary session for improving Bastion Square had been held in October 2003 by the City and the Bastion Square Revitalization Association (BSRA), a collective of merchants, building owners and city staff members. Funds totaling an estimated $275,000 had been collected by the BSRA, specifically for enhancing public spaces within the Square. While ideas were generated, with hopes for some implementation by summer 2004, the process appeared to have lost momentum for the upcoming season.
In conjunction with the DVCA’s March 2004 conference, a charette was built to look at specific problems in the Square. While the central corridor and Wharf Street access were deemed highly successful public spaces during the tourist season (primarily due to a successful Artisans Market, cafes and pub), the desire was to make Bastion Square successful year round, attract locals and revitalize acknowledged ‘dead zones.’ Boomerang Alley, Helmcken Alley, Commercial Alley and the Langley Street approach were all recognized as problematic spaces, largely detracting from the overall effectiveness and well being of the area. Uninviting entrances, darkly lit areas, obstructive arches and staircases were keeping the general public away and causing the negative use of spaces such as graffiti and litter (including used syringes and human waste).
Two ideas panels were produced for the March conference, addressing problem areas and making proposals and recommendations for improvements. A performing arts space was suggested for Boomerang Alley along with an outdoor art gallery for Commercial Alley and approaches, lined with retail shops were proposed for Langley Street and Helmcken Alley. Ideas for combining public art with the historical significance of Bastion Square, improved lighting and better signage were also included. Public feedback at the conference was overwhelmingly supportive of the proposals.
Ideas for increasing the available BSRA funding were also discussed at meetings. Cultural Spaces Canada was contacted for potential assistance (will contribute up to 33% of project costs), however a May deadline for applications and termination of the program eliminated this source. Other funding sources currently being considered are Cultural Capitals of Canada as well as the potential of corporate donations.
Members of the Public Spaces and Connections Working Group remain involved in the continuing process of revitalizing Bastion Square. A plan compiled by the City of Victoria includes projects recommended in the conference ideas panels and their estimated costs. It will be determined by the BSRA and the City which projects are initiated and when.
Downtown Victoria Harbourfront Walkway
Victoria is a waterfront city. The inner and upper harbours are a distinguishing setting for the Provincial capital. A downtown district with the harbour as its centrepiece, is not only beautiful, but has the potential to be a powerful catalyst and engine for the overall success of the downtown and therefore, the city.
Strong physical and associative links between the downtown commercial- retail and office district and the harbourfront must be enhanced and expanded to include as many pedestrian connections as possible. If downtown Victoria is the living room of the Capital Regional District, then the harbour is the hearth. It is here, at the water’s edge, where residents and visitors are drawn to participate in and experience most acutely the social and cultural life of the City.
The main urban cores of some of the most beautiful and important cities in the world include waterways as their centrepieces. It is not difficult to envision Victoria as such a city. A city whose downtown streets have views west to the harbour and whose streets and intersections include frequent hints and way-finding devices indicating connection with and access to the harbourfront. Victoria could be a city that is inhabited down to the public water’s edge with historic and contemporary architecture, parks and marine structures that accommodate many uses.
To achieve these goals, a measured, committed and consistent strategy must be employed. In the short term, and as a way to keep and build on the momentum of the interest raised during the Downtown Victoria 2020 Conference Series, the following can be the guiding principles toward the making of a downtown Victoria Harbourfront Walkway:
1. Enhance what exists. Make all current public parts of the water’s edge clean, safe and accessible by adding seating, lighting and linking fragments of now separate water’s edge walkway.
2. Design and implement a way-finding system to graphically mark the way to the waters edge from downtown street corners, civic locations and landmarks. This could include publishing maps and posters that inform and assist people to find and enjoy the downtown harbourfront.
3. Acquire the land, marine and riparian rights and reciprocal use easements that may be required to allow the completion of a harbourfront pedestrian and bicycle right of way along the water’s edge.
Downtown Transit
It is important to acknowledge the importance of transportation in the context of urban design. While private auto traffic is clearly and predominantly linked to the street right-of-way, public transit and pedestrian networks are, in effect, key components of the public domain. Although detailed research and analysis of public transit issues are subjects of other working group reports, the following focuses on issues that public transit shares with Public Spaces and Connections.
Where, when, and how people move, congregate, interact, and experience the city, is a function of combinations of public and private, open and built space. The appearance and comfort of bus stops, bus terminals and other components of a public transit system along public rights-of-way, generate pedestrian traffic that can have a profound effect on commercial and recreational activities nearby. Combinations of retail, workplace or recreational facilities and transit stops can contribute to the success or failure of the transit system as well as to the economic viability of downtown.
In a larger sense, public transit to and from downtown with well-designed, comfortable, and dignified bus stops, shelters and terminals, can be a catalyst to increased visits. The compact, pedestrian scale (10 – 15 Min. walking time) of Downtown Victoria lends itself to access by public transit and this makes it a worthwhile aspect to consider in the urban design of downtown.
Parking Lots
There are a great number of surface parking lots in the downtown Victoria. Many of these lots are located at highly visible intersections and add nothing visually to the streetscape or to the urban experience. While some of the surface parking lots are significant in size and could accommodate landscaping without jeopardizing valued parking, many are relatively small and would suffer economically if landscaped areas were introduced. Green surfacing would mitigate the negative impact of the number of stalls. Green and porous parking surfaces are possible at any scale and could offer an alternative to conventional asphalt. In addition to providing a visually pleasing green surface, a green parking lot filters pollutants from the storm water system, minimizes the volume of rain water entering the storm water drains, and aids in reducing excessive heat within the urban core during the summer. While a green parking lot may be beyond the financial abilities of the lot owner or impractical for functional reasons, as a minimum, all surface parking lots should be required by bylaw to have landscaping and visual screening along all street frontages.
Public Art
One cannot discuss the public realm without including the subject of public art. The City of Victoria has attempted, although inconsistently over the years, to develop and maintain a public art policy. Therefore, it is proposed that Downtown Victoria, as the cultural focal point of the CRD, be the setting for a rigorous and progressive civic policy for the promotion and creation of art in the public realm. This means a fully functioning mechanism for initiating and implementing art projects that are free of commercial or political influence. A City policy pertaining to art downtown that will foster a serious and intelligent program to encourage a high level of understanding and appreciation of art in public. While no specific or detailed recommendation or project is suggested here, it is important that any initiative in the public domain must include a component for the artistic expression of our society, culture, time and place. It is recommended that such an initiative involve locally based artists and art professionals as well as those from elsewhere. The goal is to aim at the highest level of artistic endeavor and give it a prominent place in the design of Downtown Victoria.
CityRoom: Where a City Plans Itself
The concept of a CityRoom was brought forward during the conference. As part of this leadership, it is also recommended that the City sponsor and maintain the CityRoom. This idea, supported and used by the Public Spaces and Connections group as well as the other conference working groups, is intended to facilitate ongoing discussions on urbanism by providing a location with high public exposure and accessibility. The prototype for this space was a donated retail shop on Yates Street downtown. With the display of projects, aerial photos, urban plans and models, this temporary location proved to be an effective vehicle for raising public awareness of downtown issues and nurturing positive urbanism in the city. It demonstrated a high level of public interest in participating with city government in the support and improvement of downtown as a critically important element of the health of the community. It is recommended that the City of Victoria adopt the CityRoom concept and develop a location, at city hall or elsewhere downtown, where urbanism and planning of Victoria can be an inclusive, conscious and continuous process .
P.82 Public Spaces Public Life, Jan Gehl and Lars Geinzoe, CopenHagen 1996, Danish Architectural Press and Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture Publishers
