We know public space is important to you. That's why the City of Vancouver is asking for your input on the future of Robson Square. You may have noticed you haven't been able to drive through the 800 block of Robson Street for the past several months. That's about to change.
This week the city's standing committee on planning, transportation, and environment passed Administrative Report A6: Strategy for Moving Towards a Public Plaza.
This will mean the temporary reopening of the block to traffic and transit vehicles.
But, as the title of the report suggests, shutting it down for good is pretty much a done deal. In the meantime, council is obligated to create the appearance of public consultation. We have done so with the assistance of the Vancouver Public Space Network.
Please take a moment to fill out the following survey.
Completing the survey will automatically enter your name into a draw for a $100 gift certificate for the food truck of your choice.
1. Please choose one of the below options:
a) Cars are evil.
b) Cars are totally, like, super evil.
c) Cars are the last remnant of a fascistic and patriarchal society where personal comfort and convenience are put before the preservation of our planet and the welfare of our children.
2. Please reorder the following options, in descending order from most important to least important:
a) Shrubs
b) Benches
c) Skateboarders
d) Water Features
e) Drug Dealers
f) Trees
g) Public Art
h) The Unemployed
i) Coffee
j) Skunks
k) Crack
3. Please indicate which of the following statements most closely reflects what you already know to be true:
a) Public spaces provide an important gathering place where people of all ethnicities, religions, cultures and socioeconomic groups may come together to exchange knowledge and ideas that make our city a better place and our democracy stronger.
b) Our city is a better place and our democracy stronger when people of all ethnicities, religions, cultures and socioeconomic groups come together to exchange knowledge and ideas in a public space.
4. Please fill in the blank in the following sentence:
Robson Square would be perfect if we got rid of c__rs once and for all.
5. Business organizations including the Downtown Business Improvement Association have expressed reservations about the permanent closing of Robson Square, citing the rerouting of transit buses and difficulty for West End residents (many of them elderly) who would like to journey by bus to shop downtown. Which of the following statements most closely represents your view on the issue:
a) Wah.
b) That's why online shopping was invented.
c) How badly does he need that medication?
6. Public art is an important part of the public realm. A public space should include a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of :
a) Gregor Robertson
b) Geoff Meggs
c) Raymond Louie
7. A public plaza should also be a place where people gather to partake in group activities. Please choose three of the following to indicate which activities are most important to you:
a) Fire-dancing/stiltwalking
b) Anti-poverty protests
c) Union rallies
d) Anti-Conservative rallies
e) Juggling/devil-sticks/rollerblading
f) Live music by unsigned post-rock indie bands
g) Occupy protests/camping h) Hockey riots
8. How many food trucks should be allowed to occupy the public square at any given time?
a) 30-40
b) 40-60
c) 60-80
9. In the space below, please provide us with a 1:63,500 scale drawing of what you believe a perfect public space might look like. Please include all geographical features and a detailed legend.
Thank you for your time.
Stephen Quinn is the host of On the Coast on CBC Radio One, 690 AM and 88.1 FM in Vancouver. @cbcstephenquinn