Flagpoles are up - inside the "planters" - were they located there before?
Could the "planters" be water features?
There's also a glass railing/fence on the far side of each "planter".
So it looks like visibility will be retained through and over the new canopies.
Pic by me today:
This old pic from Wikipedia shows the old flagpoles bolted to the sides of the planters:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...jpg/800px-Vancouver_Robson_Square_01.jpg