Vancouver could soon have its own European-inspired public square on Robson Street if Coun. Suzanne Anton’s vision comes to life.
Anton is asking for public consultation into creating a square between the Art Gallery and the Courthouse, permanently closing the site to traffic.
“We have lots of beautiful parks but we don’t have public squares,” she said, adding she came up with the idea on a bike trip through Europe this summer.
“Every place we went to, the first place we headed was the public square and there always was one,” she said. “From a tourist perspective, that’s where they want to go, the centre of town.”
The stretch of road in front of the Art Gallery has been closed to traffic for one year and traffic is used to it being shut, Anton added.
“Everyone who’s familiar with the city knows it’s already a popular gathering spot,” she said. “It could become the natural and vital heart of our global city.”
