free; free space: reimagining infrastructure’s civic role

Abstract

Vancouver, like many other transit-oriented cities, has a history of prioritizing efficiency and movement over civic engagement within its infrastructure. Through the rigid structuring of transportation networks, such as the SkyTrain system, the city has reinforced linear rhythms of transit, limiting opportunities for cyclical life. As the privatization and commodification of urban space continue to erode civic accessibility, the potential of latent spaces within infrastructure remains overlooked. This thesis explores how architecture can reimagine transportation infrastructure as civic space by intervening within the underutilized landscape and latent spaces of Commercial-Broadway Station. The project introduces free; free space, an architectural intervention shaped by urban rhythm, spatial cinema and place based programming with the aim of breaking the commuters’ everyday rhythms. The research acts as a framework for other interventions along the SkyTrain network with intent to encourage the public to explore Vancouver through a civic narrative.