In 1972 with a change in provincial government, the architectural plans for the development of a central and significant portion of downtown Vancouver shifted from a proposed tall tower to a tower laying down on its side. Arthur Erickson’s re-design of the Robson Square Complex was premised upon this significant shift towards horizontality as a central feature of civic design. The link between horizontality and accessibility was foregrounded by Erickson in his proposed re-design. This pape...