Public space is an integral part of every downtown centre. It forms the connective
tissue which binds the downtown together and allows for human exchange and
activity to occur. Successful public spaces attract potential users and keep them
there. They do so by satisfying the most significant of human needs.
Downtown New Westminster possesses a collection of public spaces which do not
function well within the urban environment. Not only are they underused but they
lack identity and linkages to one another and the surrounding community. To create
a successful public realm, the Downtown requires a comprehensive public space
plan. The purpose of this thesis is to present the appropriate tools necessary to
accomplish this task. These tools include a public space planning framework, a series
of practical guiding principles, and a planning strategy.
The planning framework outlines the most significant user needs and the methods
with which to achieve them. The human needs addressed include community,
democratic, physical, psychological, ecological, functional and economic needs. In
addition, a systems/ecological planning approach and an implementation and
monitoring strategy provide the basis from which the planning strategy is
developed.
The practical guiding principles are derived from an analysis of the public space
planning practices of San Francisco, California, Portland, Oregon and Victoria,
British Columbia. They focus primarily on the approach, content and presentation of
public space plans which facilitate the development of a successful public realm.
Specifically, the guiding principles promote the use of a holistic planning approach,
the creation of specific yet flexible directives, the need to keep public space planning active in downtown centres, and the easy interpretation and
implementation of public space planning initiatives.
The public space planning strategy is a plan of action designed to guide the creation
of a public space plan for Downtown New Westminster. Based on the planning
framework, the practical guiding principles, and the review of the Downtown and its
public space planning efforts, the strategy outlines each consecutive step of the
process, the tasks involved, and the agencies responsible for carrying them out. The
twenty steps involved range from obtaining City support to conduct a public space
plan for the Downtown to the creation and implementation of the plan itself.
Together, these public space planning tools - the planning framework, the guiding
principles and the strategy - form the foundation of a public space plan for the
Downtown neighbourhood. If these tools are implemented in the proposed manner, it
is likely that a successful public realm may be achieved.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/5801 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Arishenkoff, Lilian Michelle |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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