Shops, arts, and housing are residents’ top priorities in city’s Civic Core survey

The city’s Civic Core District Plan results are in with over 1,000 surveys submitted.

The people’s top priorities are clear: the top three big project asks for the area are for shops and cafes with housing above, a performing arts centre, and an ice arena.

These were the top three answers to the “What are the big infrastructure items/civic facilities you think MUST be in this space?” question presented in the poll.

While shops and cafes with housing were what more than half of voters wanted, a performing arts space was voted as the top priority – 24.81% of respondents agreeing, narrowly passing shops with housing at 23.64%.

The ice arena was again the third priority at 17.15%.

Seasonally, 58% of respondents wanted an ice rink for public skating in the winter, with festivals and live performances following closely.

The strongest responses came when people were asked about the summer months – 71.9% wanted live performances, 69.6% asked for festivals, 68.8% said farmers markets, and 64.44% responded with Public Outdoor Events – which any of the above three could fall under.

People also wanted an assortment of washrooms, benches, art, green spaces, food options, and more around the area.

Question 5 was “Think about the whole space as one unified community area (like Granville Island, Stanley Park, or even Times Square). What would you do to define the space? Check all that apply.”

The top three responses were No Vehicle Access (42.83%, Brick roads and sidewalks (42.44%), and unique signage (40.41%).

You can find out more information on the survey results here and here.