Cities around the world have successfully transformed their historic districts into vibrant pedestrian zones, creating thriving community spaces that benefit everyone. Here in Vancouver, the successful Water Street pilot program in 2024 demonstrated clear benefits: increased foot traffic, improved business performance, and a more welcoming environment for families and seniors. The data speaks for itself - a permanent pedestrian zone would enhance our city’s livability while supporting local economic growth.
Council has directed staff to bring back the pedestrian zone with an unexpected twist. The planned weekend-only closures require weekly setup and removal of barriers and furniture, creating confusion for visitors and residents alike and an unnecessary expense for taxpayers. This comes as a shock as the pilot program showed the benefits were observed most during weekdays, proving that this walkable community space had consistent demand throughout the week!

The spaghetti on the wall

Despite the benefit and optimism seen by many small businesses in Gastown, one multinational, multi-location chain restaurant struck a chord with council. Posing themselves as a representative of local small business. This chain restaurant was against the pilot before it began, showing council their pre-pandemic sales from 2019 next to their 2024 sales, and turned to the media to paint the 2024 pilot as a failure. They had cried enough pasta-water tears to make city council consider a compromise far from common sense. Limiting the summer-only program further to weekends-only is a ‘compromise’ that would create inconsistency and unpredictable challenges for businesses, residents, visitors, and deliveries. A pedestrian mall limited to weekends-only would fail to provide the benefits of the pedestrian zone that our local economy needs. We want to rise above their negativity, and see an even better pilot in 2025, not set it up to fail.

What the people want

Our vision for Gastown would be for a 3-month 24/7 pilot program in Summer 2025, allowing enough time for businesses to participate in patios, and street side vending opportunities. We would like to see a fully car-free zone on Water Street from Cordova to Maple Tree Square. With two-way traffic accommodated on Cordova Street and enhanced support for small businesses and local vendors, this plan will transform Gastown into a more vibrant, accessible, and economically-thriving district for everyone. We hope after another successful Summer pilot in 2025 that the city will turn the pilot into a permanent 24/7/365 car-free zone, replacing temporary measures and building proper infrastructure to support the needs of businesses, residents and the community.

How we plan to cook up some change

Your voice matters in making Water Street a vibrant and exciting car-free destination! Imagine strolling through Gastown, enjoying live performances, outdoor dining, and community events in a safe, accessible environment. It’s not hard to imagine if you saw the pedestrian zone last year. Join the growing number of residents and business owners who support this positive change. Take action now by sending a quick, one-click email to City Council - together, we can create a more walkable, vibrant, and prosperous Gastown that works for everyone!