It’s a great start, but really, we need to be much more assertive and visionary in converting public space for use by people.
Jim Deva Plaza, mid-morning, a summer day. The street furniture is coming out, and the plaza is getting ready for people who want to watch the scene, chat with their friends, read their book, paper or Kindle, have coffee or a snack.
The ex-BC Rail line has only one regular freight train a day (return from Squamish) compared to seven a day in BC Rail days including the Budd passenger train. So the line has more than the capacity for a commuter train to the forever promised third Sea Bus (there are four now but who is counting) or even a Via Rail train ( no daily Via Rail passenger trains anywhere in Western Canada) to further north as desired by several mayors. It could reduce the highway traffic on the Sea to Sky which regularly has motor vehicle accidents on a weekly basis. But it takes leadership in non-gold plated transit which is lacking in the Metro Vancouver area.
Sorry, the above was meant for the North Shore comment below..don’t know how it skipped up to this as I thought it was in that article…
“It’s a great start, but really, we need to be much more assertive and visionary in converting public space for use by people.”
What do you mean by this statement?
I feel bad saying it, but I find the execution of the square disappointing. It’s a great idea, it’s a wonderful space, and I’m really pleased that Jim Deva is being honoured by the community, but the design feels flat and it looks like the budget was slashed repeatedly.
Davie seems to resist any improvements that might make anyone even think of the word ‘gentrification’, and maybe that’s a conscious (or unconscious) choice. Fair enough, but I think the City/BIA could still have tried for a more interesting and engaging statement in this location.
Maybe there’ll be a revamp in a few years. In the meantime, I’m thankful for the space itself. It’s a great addition to the West End.