One hundred and forty-five years after Lord Granville was appointed Colonial Secretary to manage the British Empires colonies, including the area known as Vancouver, I highly doubt that he could have predicted the many associations that his name would have in a metropolitan coastal city especially for an area known for its gritty, colourful clubs and shops.
And to have Granville posthumously scratching his head even more, VIVA Vancouver is reprogramming the way Granville Street is used, allowing visitors think outside the sidewalks borders and look at new ways of exploring the physical area.
VIVA Vancouver is an every-weekend event that runs until the end of August, blocking off Granville Street and other major areas such as Robson, Fraser and Mt. Pleasant from cars, providing new spaces for people to socialize, eat and play by incorporating festivals and events and adding chairs, tables and areas to hang out.
For example, by June 29, 800 Robson will be transformed into Corduroy Road, with a bright, deck-like appearance, bringing a section of the roadway up to curb level with seating for people to pause, relax and take in the city. The installations name, Corduroy Road, refers to rough-cut plank and log roads once used as temporary passages in the Pacific Northwest (and as bumpy as a pair of corduroy pants).
You can also celebrate the Canada Day long weekend with the Vancouver Busker Festival, taking place on Granville Street from June 29 to July 1.
On July 6 and 7, 11am-6pm, the 500-900 blocks of Granville will turn up the heat with Carnaval del Sol, a celebration of Latin-American art and culture, full of music, dancing, soccer matches, delicious foods.
.The objective is to really encourage people to come out and take over road space and enjoy it in a different way, says Charles Gauthier, president and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, one of the major partners which also include the City, TransLink, local business and artists. We want to animate the streets, allowing festivals and artists and Vancouverites to interact.
Bus routes along Granville and Robson streets will be rerouted nearby for the duration of both closures.
Now in its fourth year, VIVA Vancouver has made it comfortable to walk down the middle of a normally busy street.
You could tell Vancouverites were kind of curious and not sure how to adapt to this new model, Gauthier says with a small laugh. So it was interesting to see reactions like, What do you mean, I can sit in the middle of this street on tables and chairs?
Comparably, the businesses in the area were also a little skeptical of the car-less proposal.
In the early days, it took a lot of convincing for the merchants that this was going to pay dividends for them, Gauthier says. We showed them that just because there are no motorized vehicles on the street, it doesnt mean you wont get business at your door.
A survey was conducted last year showing that VIVA actually promotes business in the area: six out of 10 of people who come down to the event spend at least two hours on the strip, visiting the shops in the area.
But the real shift, according to Gauthier, is in the mindset of Vancouverites.
We dont really know our neighbours well enough, he says. Were not connected with each other. I think what events like this will do is start connecting people and maybe start breaking down those barriers that we have that we dont talk to strangers or we dont share a bench with someone.
I think that, over time, well see people becoming friendlier to each other and those barriers will come down where we will engage and talk to people and maybe make new friends as a result.
