What Puts Occidental Square in the Hall of Shame?
Pioneer Square is easy to get to – on foot, by transit and it is clearly visible when approaching it or passing by. Several Totems and a bandshell make it obvious that something is there. Less successful in this category – the square has a dark and cold feeling, few places to sit and many of the people who are there seem to be hanging out – others are just passing through. We talked to some women walking though the space, who noted that the cobblestone surface is difficult to walk on, particularly for those who are cutting diagonally across the space. This is the main problem. There is very little to do in the square itself and the buildings along its edges seem to have little relationship to the square. There is an outdoor cafe, a few shops on the square, and a coffee shop and other businesses across the street, but they seem to have little connection to it. This seems to be a sociable space for a group of people hanging out waiting for meals at the nearby soup kitchen, but there are
