Abstract Manager

Deep Cove is a small, waterfront-oriented village centre in North Vancouver with picturesque views of the mountains and inlet and a host of recreation activities. Gallant Avenue is the ‘main street’ and destination with a variety of shops, restaurants, and Art Galley that locals and visitors converge upon. The existing street was challenged in accommodating the high number of pedestrians with narrow sidewalks and constrictions in space with patios, street furniture, trees, signage, etc. Sidewalks were also congested by long lines of people outside of destination coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants. As an aging street, the infrastructure was also in need of renewal and repair for broken, cracked and heaved sidewalks, poor lighting, poor tree health, and a busy roadway.

The temporary public space created during the Covid-19 pandemic received high public support and subsequently helped form a new vision for the street and $3.3M in federal grant funding. Project goals included: Improving mobility and access; Increasing protected space for pedestrians; Supporting business needs with public space and parking; Improving the efficiency of traffic flow and circulation; Incorporating environmental sustainability through green infrastructure and protecting the biodiversity of natural ecosystems; and Reinforcing the unique character and village feel;

The project was advanced through a visioning process, extensive public engagement, stakeholder engagement, an independent accessibility audit, and a separate design panel to conduct a competition to engage a local First Nations artist.

The design focused on pedestrians first with features such as: wide concrete sidewalks; flex zones that can be used as either public space for patios or as parking through the use of removable bollards; and accessibility features throughout with definition in materials, detectable elements and edges, colours, and furnishings; conversion of the roadway to one-way; custom wide curbs to visually narrow the roadway; and traffic calming elements. The project also included unique pavers in select public space areas, soil cells, green infrastructure, street trees, decorative street and pedestrian lighting, plantings, custom wood benches, custom trench drain designs, and unique First Nations art.