Back alleys are not where most people want to hang out, but increasingly cities in North America, Europe and Australia are revitalizing them and their citizens are loving the results.

Charles Gauthier, president and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), says for years his members had wanted to perk up the city’s back laneways. “We’d been hearing about overflowing dumpsters, males urinating in the back lanes at night — total disrespect for the space.” Only trucks making deliveries used the laneways, since most people didn’t consider them safe.

WHAT THEY WANTED: With Vancouver’s sky-rocketing real-estate values, underused alleyways seemed ideal to redevelop for public use. The DVBIA hired HCMA Architecture + Design to redesign three alleyways for the city: the first being south of West Hastings St. between Granville St. and Seymour St. Gauthier says HCMA proposed the redevelopment of the area to the city. It went for it and gave the DVBIA a grant of $100,000, which covered the basic cost of the first laneway, Hastings West Laneway.

WHAT THEY GOT: Architect Paul Fast, from HCMA, says architects went for a ‘Play’ theme to contrast the neighbourhood’s business atmosphere. They pressure-washed the laneway, removed some of the bigger potholes, painted the street with street grade paint, as well as walls and dumpsters, in pink, purple and yellow. Fast says, “The colour scheme we chose was to make this a really bright, welcoming, vibrant space. The yellow was important because the colour palette of the buildings around it is a very grey stone muted colour palette. To get people into this space we had to have this strong punch of colour.”

They installed a basketball hoop. Original plans called for three hoops, but two were nixed because of safety and business concerns. Businesses backing onto the alley have been encouraged to set up patios, which Trees Organic Coffee has done. They architects also added LED lighting to the laneway and a new string of lights is going up, as well as two large glowing orbs to be suspended at either end of the alley.

Alley-Oop, the name architects dubbed the revamped laneway, opened in September 2016. Two other alleyways are also set to be redone, one in the Granville entertainment district, which will feature a DJ and bands, and the other in the Alberni luxury retail district, featuring locally handmade crafts.

HOW IT CHANGED THINGS: The laneway is now brighter and feels safer, which has encouraged more people to use it. Commercial vehicles still use it, but most deliveries are completed before 2 p.m.

Gauthier says, “There’s huge pride of ownership with everyone — the users of the back lane, people from all types of socio-economic status.”

DVBIA stats show that before the laneway redevelopment, 30 people an hour went through it, now 73 people an hour use it. Six vehicles an hour used to travel through the space, now it’s three vehicles per hour. Also prior to the changes, 75 per cent of people going through the back alley were men and 25 per cent were women. Now it’s 57 per cent men and 43 per cent women. “Women didn’t feel safe walking through the back lane — this has now changed,” says Gauthier, who adds the city doesn’t have to spend as much money servicing the area now.

Area residents love it. Larry Swift, operations manager for Talia Jevan Properties Inc., which owns and manages two properties nearby, says the company likes that the laneway is clean and the tenants love hanging out in it.

“This has created a space for them to go outside and relax without having to walk several blocks. Some of our tenants have actually brought basketballs to the office so they can go out at lunch and shoot some hoops.”

Two private schools also back onto the laneway and give it rave reviews. Cheryl Grenick, marketing co-ordinator at Alexander Academy, says, “It creates a safe place and that’s why we intend to do as many activities as we can and invite our neighbours to join in.”

Adrian Lipsett, registrar at sister school Alexander College, agrees. “It’s remarkable what some careful thought, a basketball hoop, and a bit of paint has done to create a series of opportunities for our students, staff and faculty …There is mild traffic in our alley, so adjusting our activities to the odd passing vehicle is wonderfully reminiscent of playing neighbourhood hockey in the cul-de-sac.”