The existing image of downtown helps us to understand how 8 Street S.W. works and looks today. It is a street that is largely designed for vehicles, with little offered to make the environment inviting or pleasant for people. Examples of this are the lack of trees, vegetation, places to sit or rest, lighting, and space for people on bikes or scooters etc.

Click to view larger image. These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

The illustration demonstrates how the design comes together to satisfy the Master Plan principles. 8 Street S.W. becomes a truly green network with protected cycling and wheeling facilities, generous space for planting of trees and other vegetation, places to sit and gather, and broad pedestrian zone free of obstacles. The design concept provides different planting conditions to best respond to varying conditions at grade (retail, restaurants, surface parking lots, blank walls etc.) and below grade (utilities).

To Build a Green Network, the street is designed to support a multi-modal network, which means offering a range of safe and inviting choices for how people will move through the Downtown. The design increases the tree canopy offering a wide range of benefits including shade and cooling, enhancing walkability, beautification, improving mental health, traffic calming, and increasing property values of businesses and homes. 

Priority is placed on creating optimal conditions for healthy trees to thrive. Increased soil volumes support larger, healthier plants and trees. Prioritizing soil volume over the quantity of trees in the street allows for the development of a larger tree canopy to support a comfortable and vibrant public realm. Ample soil volumes are provided through open planters, continuous trenches with wide tree grate openings, soil cells, as well as selecting tree species that are well-suited to site conditions. 

Another strategy as part of the planting approach is to support biodiversity and a diverse planting palette, which means selecting native and resilient plant species that expand the range of both plants and animals (birds, pollinators etc.) that exist along 8 Street S.W.

Click to view larger image. These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

Click to view larger image. These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

To Create Opportunities for Public Life, the design provides spaces along the street that support and are supported by the uses that take place on the ground floor of buildings along the corridor. Examples of this include outdoor seating in front of cafes and restaurants or increased greenery in front of areas that lack interest for people walking (blank walls). 

As social beings, people enjoy meeting up with others, in either a casual or formal way. Bumping into a friend or neighbour when out for a walk is a simple joy and contributes to one’s fond memory of a place. The design supports this most human of behaviours by providing spaces for gathering. Related to this is the basic need to rest when walking along the street. The design provides comfortable seating at regular intervals to reinforce the strategies noted above and provide a welcome respite for those for whom walking is sometimes a chore.

Amenities (planters, seating, enhanced lighting, waste bins, bike racks etc.) are consolidated within the designated zone for planting and furnishing to maintain a clean and uncluttered streetscape. Improved lighting enhances the perception of safety and security and enriches the experience inviting people to continue to use the street after dark. 

Click to view larger image. These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

Click to view larger image. These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

The existing image of the underpass section below helps us to understand how it works and looks today. The pedestrian area was improved in 2017 with upgrades to the finishes, lighting for pedestrians, feature lighting and public art features.

The four-lane roadway section was not improved or changed at that time. Since the bicycle lanes were not introduced in 2017, there has been some confusion as to where bicyclists should be cycling - on the sidewalk or on the roadway - causing conflicts and safety concerns. The 2016 Master Plan vision was to remove one travel lane in each direction and introduce a bicycle lane.

The rendering of the proposed underpass section demonstrates how the design comes together to satisfy the Master Plan principles. Dedicated space for cycling and wheeling is created outside of the pedestrian area and physically separated from motor vehicles. This provides a clear path of travel for all modes of travel, and further improves connectivity between the Riverfront, Downtown and the Beltline. 

Opportunities for building terraces in the areas next to the underpass, as shown in the 2016 Master Plan, will be explored with the existing landowners at the time of development for privately owned parcels. Terraces would help provide active edges, address green space deficiencies and improve accessibility between 8 Street S.W. and the adjacent land uses.

Click to view larger image. View north toward river pathway.
These are visionary illustrations subject to change.

Click to view larger image. View south toward 17 Ave S.W.
These are visionary illustrations subject to change.