I agree with most others that Robson Square is over-rated, and is not the kind of place it was originally intended to be.
It has a rather "dead" feeling to it, exacerbated by the underground portion, which most people seem to dislike, and it offers little in the way of charm or interest, except for the presence of the downtown UBC campus (which is limited in scale) and the occasional protest on the back steps of the VAG.
However, if any of you are old enough to remember, or have seen pictures, please, first off, remember what was there BEFORE Robson square was built: a vast, ugly parking lot, billboards, and low-grade, trashy commercial buildings. Ugliness, blandness, and emptiness in all its splendour.
When Robson Square opened in 1979, Vancouver was a different city than today; smaller, less sophisticated (it still isn't, but has made strides) and less spectacular architecturally.
Robson Square, at that time, was a WOW. It gave this provincial, bland city a sleek-looking, modernistic centre three blocks long. At that time, it was like nothing the city had ever known.
In addition, it had outdoor cafés on the lower level, and all this in itself, plus the waterfalls and landscaping, was a draw that kept it attractive and relatively flourishing (especially considering that one third of it is The BC Law Courts).
The underground aspect was largely due to the fact that a vague future idea of a southbound rapid transit line would one day be built, and Robson Square, as the "heart" of the city, would serve as part of the main entrance. Of course this is now not the case, but that was a large part of the original concept.
People are now ganging up on Robson Square, and perhaps understandably so. It has largely failed to live up to its potential as a gathering place . . . . but why?
First, if there were a direct connection to Vancouver City Centre Station, people who lived or worked in the West End, or adjacent area would pass through the square.
With people back, there would be a market.
A market for what?
Well, retail, for starters, restaurants (as before) for another, plus perhaps a cineplex - maybe a small one with only five cinemas, but one that ran high-quality, big box-office films that would attract people.
If the Georgia Street side of the VAG was given the design and lighting it needs, people would go there . . . and NO, NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF ROBSON SQUARE. They'd continue around to the other side to see what was offered, and vice versa. The VAG building would become a focal point, and energy would flow around it.
If the VAG is going to move, let us please make sure the current heritage building is made into something like an institute of higher learning, a specialised art museum, or anything that is out-of the-ordinary; highbrow, appealing, useful, and that will be a draw. This will have a "ripple effect" that will enliven the entire complex, right from Georgia Street, into the current VAG building itself, and flow like waves of energy back around to Robson square, where commuters and students are taking in a film, or stopping for lunch, or having a cappucino, or listening to a chamber quartet.
The Howe Street side of Robson Square is a high, brooding overhang of concrete that lends no charm to Howe Street, and is reminiscent of a bomb shelter.
But it needn't be.
From the overhang on top, one could suspend colourful "windsocks," flags, banners, even windchimes - big ones - built to city scale that would send musical notes echoing through Howe Street's austerity.
Robson Square still has great trees, and a fabulous downtown "waterfall" as someone pointed out. It is also centrally located, and has all the potential in the world, if the will is there to really DO SOMETHING for it. Connecting it to the Canada line directly would be a good place to start. This would bring in people, and where there are people, there are needs to fill, and where there are needs to fill, things happen.
Robson Square isn't a dark, concrete failure. The failure lies with us, for not sufficiently using our imaginations and harnessing the potential that this versatile and very multi-purpose, distinctive, and unique place has the possibility to offer.