The New Centennial Square Plan - 2023 Edition
There has been a lot of talk over the last few days about the new plan for Centennial Square. While I remain hopeful that we will see a significant improvement in people using the square from the new plan, I have my doubts that the changes will actually have any impact. I have personally sat on least two working groups that looked into making changes to Centennial Square, the last of them in 2018. Both of those committees were looking at fixing the square after the big 2012 makeover that saw the removal of the old restaurant space; the addition of the Spirit Square entrance; and the stage on the back of the McPherson Playhouse. There is a lot to learn from that last massive makeover, that seems to have been overlooked in the current rush to change things. “Different” is not a draw in itself, and even significant additional features (big new water feature, performance stage) are not enough on their own to provide a year round pull of people into a public space. Especially, one as big as Centennial Square.
A funny thing about public spaces is that they actually don’t need a lot to be successful. Some of the most popular squares in the world are really nothing more than a square, an open space. It’s in this way that we continue to fail to address Centennial Square’s biggest problem, it’s cut off from the rest of the city. I have written about Centennial Square’s failing before, it was actually one of my very first blog posts. The article seems a little amateur now, but at least I am consistent. I guess before I get into what I think we should do, I should at least talk about the new plan. I have also added a bunch of current state photos below that show some of the persistent issues and some of the many things that were changed in the last makeover.
The Current Proposal
Current plan as presented to the Committee of the Whole on June 15, 2023
Much like the previous redesign from more than a decade ago, the current plan does make some big changes. The biggest one, and the one that has certainly created the most conversation, is the removal of the fountain at the centre and replacement with a ground level water feature that can be used in the summer months as a splash pad. I actually do like the idea of a splash pad and I am hopeful that it could work. Jamison Square in Portland is a great example a park whose focal point is a water feature that is also a splash park in the summer. That said, one of the clear messages that I heard during the two sets of consultation that I participated in, is that the current location of the fountain is a massive limitation for concerts and other public gatherings. Theoretically, if this is like the splash pad at Uptown Mall, it should at least allow you to walk on it when it is off. The challenge is that the three large pieces of sculpture are to remain at the centre of the water feature which still will disrupt the ability to have the space completely open.
Other than the splash pad though, I am not overly excited about the changes. One new element, which has already been added, is a new raised garden just to the west of the current grassy area and the redwood tree. This seems to be a step in the wrong direction, as my biggest concern with Centennial Square has always been the raised grassy area and the big redwood tree in the middle of it. As this area is currently laid out, there are only two very narrow entrances to the square off of Douglas Street, which is the busiest length of the square, that makes it hard to enter the square unless on purpose and secondly the large tree in the middle makes it very hard to see into the square so you can’t easily see a pathway through it or if there are any activities going on within it. From a design perspective this is the most limiting factor to the square. The new plan has no plans for the Douglas entrance in its first phase and only some limited plans to change the entrance pathways in later phases, mostly to tie in with a new rapid transit stop. I feel that like the massive changes that were made in 2012, we are not addressing the fundamental problem with the square and nothing is going to change. In a matter of months we will be seeing the same empty square with just with a different water feature. It is actually amazing to think about how many changes have occurred to Centennial Square over the years and having no real impact on the amount of people using it. So what am I proposing?
My Proposal
I have taken the plan from the city and reworked it a little. The main changes I have made is first to remove the green space and tree from the Douglas Street Frontage. This creates a real square right along the street. I also moved the splash pad / water feature up to this new open space as I think it will provide a point of interest and gathering for those walking past. To the north of this new space, I would have new commercial spaces that could be in the current building or a rebuilt building. Either way, where the covered walkway is now would be commercial space with cafes and stores. Spilling out into the square there would be extensive cafe seating so that people could watch the people walking by and the kids playing in the fountain. The second big change would be to add a series of kiosks around the main square which could also potentially have cafe seating around them. The main part of the square would be a flat space where people could meet or just walk past each other as they moved through the city. While this may seem like an extreme change, I can assure you that if we ever actually want consistent and year-round use of Centennial Square, opening it up visually and physically at Douglas Street is the only real answer.
I know that the splash pad will draw crowds for a few days in the summer, hopefully every summer, and there will be much celebration of the crowds on those days, but I also guarantee that when it comes to the average October or March day, Centennial Square will be as it is now, a drab empty space, that is until we make the big difficult changes along Douglas Street.
I would love to hear your ideas for drawing people into Centennial Square. Let us know in the comments how you would change things for the better.