Planning the public realm: a public space framework and strategy for downtown New Westminster

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.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat