Turtle Place
Turtle Place—A Vibrant Urban Plaza
Turtle Place is a public plaza downtown on 7th and Main Street. Formerly an underutilized bus mall, it is now a model of sustainability and urban beauty–acting as a connector into our downtown district.
A Little About Turtle Place
Thanks to a cooperative effort led by VDA and including the City of Vancouver and C-Tran, Vancouver has a new public gathering place rich with public art and environmentally low-impact fixtures and plantings.
The name “Turtle Place” comes from Vancouver’s past. There is a good reason Vancouver is located where it is. This rich, fertile area has been a population center for thousands of years. Before the Europeans settled the area, it was a gathering place for native people, known to them as “Turtle Place.”
Turtle Place received the 2009 Award of Distinction for Public Spaces from the International Downtown Association. The annual Achievement Award recognizes the level of innovation, replication, partnerships, and impact for the project. Vancouver’s Downtown Association, in partnership with C-TRAN and the City of Vancouver, transformed an underutilized bus mall into an urban plaza rich with public art, lighting, seating, and other amenities. The plaza was constructed from repurposed materials as a model for sustainable practices.
Many local businesses contributed to our new plaza: Harper Houf Peterson Righellis, Group McKenzie, Tribe2 Studios, and more. Visit Turtle Place anytime and enjoy the many events now scheduled.
