Charles St GRT terminal redevelopment

[taylortbb]

The square is very nice but I don't think it's big enough for the blues festival tents, maybe for some smaller thing like the children's stage.

I'm of two minds on the playground: it would be nice to have a more open space, but there aren't many playgrounds nearby so it would be good to have one.

I think if they incorporated Gaukel street better into the design there would be an opportunity for a larger public square that could be used for bigger events like Jazz and Octoberfest.  I think they should just put a playground in victoria park along David street.

I think they should incorporate Gaukel St better, but not because of a larger public square, but rather to avoid a dead public space that feels unsafe. The current plans have the central courtyard mostly screened off from the surrounding streets (access just at the corners), that'll be great when it's full of people, but when there aren't events it'll likely be empty space disconnected from the streets around it. I expect that will leave it feeling isolated, slightly unsafe, and therefore undesirable to be in. But if it was open to Gaukel St along that side I think it would alleviate it. Most good public spaces work either by being on the way to something (a street, or a pedestrian space that functions like a street), or by being open to such a space (e.g. the square at Kitchener City Hall. Skating there wouldn't feel good if it had a wall mostly separating it from King St).