Sprucing up Vancouver’s urban landscape
After last year’s successful community-enhancing projects, the city is inviting more new ideas
Vancouver is looking for new ideas to spruce up the city’s streets, sidewalks and public spaces.
Gardens, parklets, patios and murals were some of the features used to enhance communities in 2014, and the city is seeking suggestions for what to do in the coming year.
Community gardens — part of the city’s urban food strategy — promote locally grown food along with community building and crime reduction.
Vancouver now has more than 75 community gardens, located in city parks, schoolyards, on private property, even one on the grounds of City Hall. These gardens represent more than 4,400 individual plots, an increase of about 1,200 plots since 2013.
Street and wall murals also add to communities. In 2014, there were 17 new wall murals, five new street murals and three new art wrap projects installed.
The designs for the Marpole Street Murals were created by Emily Carr students, and are meant to reflect the culture and heritage of the Marpole area.
Also this past year, Vancouver created its Patio Hours Extension Pilot Program to bring life to Vancouver streets. Restaurants could serve patio customers until midnight daily — an hour later than normal.
A total of 115 restaurants took part in the pilot program, which ran from April 1 to Oct. 31, with the city maintaining there were few noise complaints. Vancouver is now reviewing the program as it prepares for the 2015 patio season.
Launched as part of VIVA Vancouver, parklets are extended platforms over street parking spaces that include benches, tables, chairs, and landscaping.
Designed to enhance the street in front of businesses or organizations by creating a space for people to sit, relax and enjoy the city, they are sponsored by private businesses but free and open to anyone.
There were five parklets built in Vancouver in 2014, each with their own unique theme and style — Urban Pasture in the 1000-block of Robson Street; Hot Tubs, East 44th at Fraser Street; the French Quarter at East 21st and Main Street; Parallel Park, East 14th at Main; and Commercial Drive Parklet at East 4th and Commercial Drive.