More On Garbage Cans...

Spokane's urban environment is littered with the legacy that is Expo '74...and we relish it.  A quick glance around this place and one see's EXPO everywhere - Gondolas, IMAX, Opera House, pavillion, garbage goat, the butterflies, etc. 

Out of them all, the most unnoticed has to be the antiquated concrete garbage cans that you see all over the place (we even spotted one in Hillyard two weeks ago).  They've survived thirty-two years on the tough streets of Spokane and are still in pretty good shape.  But only a few of you may remember that they served a dual purpose:  collect garbage and act as wayfinders for visitors to Expo.  You see, that flat angled portion of the container had glued to it a map directing those visitors to key locations on the Expo grounds.  Pretty progressive use of the public space in our opinion.  

We can't recall exactly when the last of the maps were removed, but we think it's high time they were brought back, or at least something took their place.  As our city experiences this newfound interest in all things urban, what could be a better use? 

Actually that's not a rhetorical question.  We'd like to hear from you.  How can this public space be best re-used to benefit Spokane's urban environment?  Post your ideas below, or send us an email.

If we get enough suggestions/interest we'll pursue it.

Comments

[Heyduke]

Awesome research metro-Spokane! I totally love those garbage cans. I have only seen the ones downtown, neat to find out they are spread as far as Hillyard. I think we should bring back the wayfinding use of these great amenities. They could direct people to cool historic and current places around town like the mall, the falls, the butterflies (another fav), and of course the goat. Great find keep up the good work!

[METROSPOKANE]

Heyduke-

Good suggestions. Another thought I had was to place photos there that depict the street as it looked in the past. Could be 1960 or 1910. It would get passers-by a to pause a second.

[William]

Bicycle Locks, Spokane does nothing to promote bicycling. Maybe a map of downtown along with the locks. That would be nice.

[kari]

in wilmington, north carolina, a local nonprofit supporting kids & the arts called "dreams" (their moto is "building a culture of confidence"), had a project where kids covered some of the garbage cans around town with tile mosaics they designed and installed themselves. now the garbage cans are fun to look at and have become a real source of pride for the kids, knowing their art has improved their city. i'm not sure how that could be incorporated with your map idea...
http://www.dreamswilmington.org/

[metrospokane]

Kari,

That's a great example. Thanks for the link. As Spokane is seen as being very family friendly, an idea like that could easily take hold. It would have the added bonus of signalling to people that downtown can be a kid-friendly place.