Superblocks in Vancouver

[Aroundtheworld]

Superblocks to the rescue: Barcelona’s plan to give streets back to residents

From the Guardian

The Catalan capital’s radical new strategy will restrict traffic to a number of big roads, drastically reducing pollution and turning secondary streets into ‘citizen spaces’ for culture, leisure and the community

Nine blocks in Barcelona’s Eixample district will make up a ‘superblock’, the city’s new strategy for sustainability. Photograph: Alamy
In the latest attempt from a big city to move away from car hegemony, Barcelona has ambitious plans. Currently faced with excessive pollution and noise levels, the city has come up with a new mobility plan to reduce traffic by 21%. And it comes with something extra: freeing up nearly 60% of streets currently used by cars to turn them into so-called “citizen spaces”. The plan is based around the idea of superilles (superblocks) – mini neighbourhoods around which traffic will flow, and in which spaces will be repurposed to “fill our city with life”, as its tagline says.

I think this is an idea that could certainly work in the urban core of Vancouver and possibly some of the Metro Cores. Where would you guys like to see superblocks in the region?

[osirisboy]

Vancouver did this already back in the 70s when they closed streets in the west end. And recently with closing streets like Jarvis and turning it into a parkette

[SpongeG]

yea, in more recent times they have done the same in east van, commercial drive area.

[scottN]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

yea, in more recent times they have done the same in east van, commercial drive area.

Those east Vancouver streets are still highly car oriented - they just prioritized local car traffic and block through traffic. It's a start but if you look at the pictures from Barcelona, these streets are designed for pedestrians first and cars second. You won't generally find people walking down the middle of the street anywhere in east Vancouver - except on streets with no sidewalks at all which we remarkably still have.

IMO the closest thing to a superblock we have in Vancouver is the Arbutus walk neighbourhood on the west side. I think this is a great urban model and we should try to encourage more of it, especially on large sites such as the Jericho Lands.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Too much critical roadspace downtown to think about entire pedestrian-only streets. Maybe once a West End Line opens up?

For now, Broadway seems like a good bet - many of those side streets will hardly be missed.

[djmk]

I thought Granville was a super block at one point

and isn't Robson in front of the art gallery a "super block"?

And wasn't there talk of Water Street becoming pedestrian only?

[Migrant_Coconut]

"Superblocks" technically involve four road segments, not just one; a Robson Square superblock would turn everything in the Burrard-Georgia-Howe-Smithe box into a car-free zone, which isn't happening anytime soon.

[djmk]

Well, its super to me.

[scottN]

It seems like it would be easiest to implement a superblock structure as part of a large redevelopment. That way the city doesn't have to make a politically difficult decision to displace existing automotive street uses. The Jericho Lands redevelopment would be an obvious candidate here.

In East Vancouver an older version of the Grandview Woodland community plan called for creating N-S pedestrian links between Commercial Drive and Victoria Drive. That could be used to create a superblock structure between Broadway and 12th, Commercial and Victoria. The present design proposal for the commercial-broadway safeway site supports this concept with a pedestrian plaza beside the skytrain station, but unfortunately also puts the resident's underground parking access on 10th avenue which would preclude closing that street to cars entirely. Perhaps that's not completely incompatible with the superblock concept though if it's for local traffic only.

[Aroundtheworld]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

"Superblocks" technically involve four road segments, not just one; a Robson Square superblock would turn everything in the Burrard-Georgia-Howe-Smithe box into a car-free zone, which isn't happening anytime soon.

Yeah, it would be complicated there. Also have to account for underground garage entrances.

The first place I see this happening is in Gastown and then Yaletown. If you were to start one in the Downtown Core, I would actually start with Georgia-Howe-Smithe-Seymour as that is centred around Granville and Robson. I also think Robson St. from Burrard to BC Place should become completely pedestrian.

[Migrant_Coconut]

The Broadway-Cambie and Broadway-Main areas might be good spots too. I'd hold off on closing Robson, at least until there's enough rapid transit to relieve Georgia... and closing Granville would kind of mess up the buses.

[trofirhen]

The concept of superblocks is reiterated here for Paris. This is a project by mayor Anne Hidalgo, which might have pertinent applications for Vancouver.
https://www.citylab.com/environment/...-parks/606325/