Back in 2017, Vancouver began working on Gastown Complete Streets, a transportation plan for the city's historic Gastown neighbourhood, and an offshoot of the city's Transportation 2040 and Downtown Eastside plans.
The Gastown plan suggested it was time to look into developing Vancouver’s first car-light area, and to look at transit and cycling improvements for the area’s narrow, often cobblestoned streets. The plan would also prioritize celebrating the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations on whose territory it was founded, and acknowledging the area’s complex history in relation to indigenous people.
Then COVID-19 arrived.
While the long-range plan was temporarily paused, this past June the city launched its Temporary Expedited Patio Program, as part of the COVID response for the local business community. The patio program allows food and liquor serving establishments to expand their indoor seating outside, subject to their ability to adhere to public health requirements around physical distancing. (The temporary patio permits are free to local businesses, and are valid until October 31, 2020.)
Then in early July, in partnership with the Gastown BIA, the city closed a portion of the 200-block of Carrall Street, considered by many to be the heart of the district's nightlife scene.
Patiotown, as it is now known, consists of many eating and drinking establishments that might be challenged to attract customers in a summer like no other.
Instead, this vibrant stretch of Gastown is now closed to motor vehicle traffic, providing space for public seating, patios, physical distancing, as well as the walking and cycling activity now seen in such significant volumes in cities and towns across BC.
Patiotown now boasts close to 500 outdoor dining spaces, and is supported by The Bicycle Valet, courtesy of BEST, every Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 pm. (See The Bicycle Valet summer calendar here.)
Need another reason to visit Gastown this summer? Supported by the Gastown BIA, Murals of Gratitude is a volunteer-driven, grassroots public art project which started soon after the COVID-19 outbreak, and has transformed boarded-up storefronts into canvases for local artists. Murals of Gratitude and the murals themselves - which can be seen throughout the neighbourhood — pay tribute to the positive impacts of frontline essential services workers on the Gastown community, and serves as a reminder that we are all in this together.
Visit Gastown’s Patiotown this summer - bring your bike, park it for free with the Bicycle Valet, and enjoy some of the best art, food and drink Vancouver has to offer.
