Seattle Viaduct - Part 1 - Defining The Problem

Paul Brokenshire, April Pierce, Jody Dickerson, Kitty Leung, Ross Papa

Urbanism Seattle

Public Space & Repairing the Urban Fabric

Like many modern North American cities, change and redevelopment is occurring at a rapid pace in Seattle as the city’s core becomes post-industrial. The downtown core is resurrecting itself and with that resurrection has come a steady increase in high-density urban residential growth.

But as this growth and redevelopment continues, the city’s long focus on vehicular infrastructure has become a problem and the same freeways that contributed to the core’s collapse in the past are the most visible holes in the development that surrounds them. In the case of the Alaskan highway this hole cuts across the city’s waterfront and separates the growing neighbourhood of Belltown from the urban energy surrounding Pike Place. This proposal intends to sketch in some initial possibilities for stitching this fabric back together through the conversion of a section of the Alaskan highway into a pedestrian focused public zone.

Site Proposal

Currently this area is surrounded by roads and a highway. There is a slope that begins on 1st Ave. which meets the adjacent street Western Road. The slope also follows the curve along the Alaskan highway infrastructure which also ends at 1st Ave.. In the surrounding area, there are businesses, apartments and a Latino Day Worker establishment.

Site Proposal The highway infrastructure now intersects with Elliot Ave. where it leads to Pike Market. The road is filled with businesses and people as Pike market is the main goal attractor in this area. Beyond the road, the highway continues above another parking lot.

A

B Following the highway infrastructure, there is a slight downward slope towards Pike Market. This area is currently used as a parking lot and is accompanied by the back of a hotel and surrounding industrial buildings.

C

Questions

How can the emerging residential neighbourhood in Belltown be stitched into the surrounding urban space and neighboring communities?

Q1

Belltown

Pike Place Market

Q2

How can we make use of the topography of the site and use the vertical dimension as an opportunity rather than an obstacle?

Should people be meant to stay or move? Should movement be left unprogrammed?

Q3

How can we break the cultural tendency to view lingering in a space as “loitering” or put another way, how can we scaffold interactions with the site that will encourage people to stay as well as to travel and move?

Q4

How can the site be made a 24 hour zone?

How can we increase the sense of safety and actual security of the area at night without closing or restricting use?

How do we deal with the Day Workers center currently occupying the site in a sensitive and appropriate manner?

Q5

Idea Public Space and Neighbourhood Identity through quality pedestrian links instantiated by elements native to the Pacific Northwest and opportunities of interpersonal interaction.

Considerations

Day Workers The day workers facility that currently exists on site is an unattractive cluster of temporary buildings but the purpose of the facility is a legitimate activity and a resource that is needed by many of the remaining population that has existed prior to Belltown’s aggressive gentrification. To simply eliminate the facility would be one more step in this gentrification in a manner that does nothing to solve the problem or needs of the individuals who use it. It is thus our belief that, while the facility must be moved from its present location , it should not be moved completely off site. The space beneath the highway deck and extending to the right into the now obsolete tunnel onramp is proposed as the site of a new facility that while still serving as a day-work location also acts as a local employment center for all of the residents of the surrounding region.

Thinning Streets and a Place to Watch

The Sides of Buildings

"No one stops in front of banks and prestigious showrooms. Quite a few people stop to look at children's toys, photos, and other items related more directly to life and other people. By far the greatest number of people stop to watch other people and events." -Ghel, Jan(Life Between Buildings)

An interesting aspect of the hill dropping down to the waterfront is that the buildings in the area tend to only open on the side facing the hill. The walls running along the slope are often left blank, both unadorned and unused. This has an effect on the energy of the area as well as the life occuring upon the streets, with streets such as 1st Avenue being lively and lined with small shops and cafes while the streets that cross it are lifeless and generally devoid of pedestrian traffic.

It is for this reason that creating a space for people to be and see others within Belltown's urban neighbourhood is one of the primary goals and themes of the project. The link with Pike Place provides a place for people to head to, a reason for being outside. The attractive and picturesque pedestrian focused corridor we are designing will encourage them to head for this goal on foot instead of trying to drive but the core goal remains the creation of places and opportunities for people to stop, rest, meet and watch other people, ideally mostly the other people who make up the residential and working population of the area.

Water Despite, or perhaps because of the Pacific Northwest’s inherent wetness the existence of urban water in the form of streams and fountains is actually quite rare. The rare instance that streams do cut through an urban area in Seattle or Vancouver usually occurs in a slice of parkland. The integration of this element must be one of the key aspects in our considerations so to not only tie the site contextually with (quite literally) the atmosphere of Seattle but to also bring in the juxtaposition of the organic form of water against the rigidity of the infrastructure.

Process Proccessing with the preceding questions in mind led to the development of the plan for the changes to the site.

Current Use

As is often the case in modern North American cities the current pedestrian options in the core are rather limited. Restricted to mid sized sidewalks paralleling the traffic grid.

Pedestrian Lingering Pedestrian Travel Vehicular Traffic

Projected Use

The redevelopment of the Viaduct path for pedestrian use causes a profound shift in the focus of the space. In our proposal the pedestrianisation of the area is continued by cutting some of the street grid and creating pedestrian streets along a segment of Battery St. and Elliot Ave. This makes driving through the remaining region less efficient which is in fact part of our goal. By discourageing car use crossing the site we hope to imrpove the conditions and general safety for pedestrians and residents.

Pedestrian Lingering Pedestrian Travel Vehicular Traffic

Projected Use Pattern

Pedestrian Lingering Pedestrian Travel Vehicular Traffic

Site A public square

For Site A this will take the form of an informal public square that will serve as an active meeting space for the people of the homes and businesses of the surrounding area as well as serve as the gateway to the pedestrian walk that takes up much of site B.

Parks: passive peaceful introverted

Squares: active extroverted

Site A public square

For Site A this will take the form of an informal public square that will serve as an active meeting space for the people of the homes and businesses of the surrounding area as well as serve as the gateway to the pedestrian walk that takes up much of site B.

Parks: passive peaceful introverted

Squares: active extroverted

Site A

top view / fountain

A river/stream will be used as a pathway and a provoker of movement and activity. When the stream of water reaches the end of the highway, it collects into a pool like a reverse water fountain. The natural downhill motion of the site is not neglected but used to connect the water from the site to the water of the bay. That connection is still undefined. It may be a literal connection or a visual illusion.

Site A

top view / fountain

A river/stream will be used as a pathway and a provoker of movement and activity. When the stream of water reaches the end of the highway, it collects into a pool like a reverse water fountain. The natural downhill motion of the site is not negelcted but used to connect the water from the site to the water of the bay. That connection is still undefined. It may be a literal connection or a visual illusion.

Site B

road, water and light as path

Far wider than is necessary for pedestrians to travel along and featuring impressive views along much of its length. Our proposal is that the walking portion of the path is thinned down and visual interest and parkland elements are added to encourage both travel and rest. The stream is actually within the road deck and can be walked upon. This stream allows light to shine through the deck down into the underside without the details being visible.

Site B

road, water and light as path

Far wider than is necessary for pedestrians to travel along and featuring impressive views along much of its length. Our proposal is that the walking portion of the path is thinned down and visual interest and parkland elements are added to encourage both travel and rest. The stream is actually within the road deck and can be walked upon. This stream allows light to shine through the deck down into the underside without the details being visible.

Site B

underside; a play of water & light

The understructure of the site is overshadowed and the highway structure quite heavy but the structure is visually interesting. The road deck can be cut away and altered to create a lighter space underneath and a visual interest such as that mentioned in the pattern Tapestry of Light and Dark. The fountains and water streams we propose to embed within the highway deck will act as focal points and path elements while also providing us with other opportunities including, allowing a translucent skylight for activities and facilities underneath the highway, an ever changing visual texture on the ground below, a sense of the sublime in the areas where the stream is embedded. There would be parts of the stream where the water is open and accessible and other parts where it is between panes of glass so it can become part of the walking paths for those who travel and sit on the deck above.

Site B

underside; a play of water & light

The understructure of the site is overshadowed and the highway structure quite heavy but the structure is visually interesting. The road deck can be cut away and altered to create a lighter space underneath and a visual interest such as that mentioned in the pattern Tapestry of Light and Dark. The fountains and water streams we propose to embed within the highway deck will act as focal points and path elements while also providing us with other opportunities including, allowing a translucent skylight for activities and facilities underneath the highway, an ever changing visual texture on the ground below, a sense of the sublime in the areas where the stream is embedded. There would be parts of the stream where the water is open and accessible and other parts where it is between panes of glass so it can become part of the walking paths for those who travel and sit on the deck above.

Site C natural connections

Site C is another opportunity for the derelict space to reconnect to the natural elements of the Pacific North West. This is done by the introduction of light, water and plant life. Stairs connect the side walks to the bridge deck on either side. This would create a dark and uninviting space underneath.

To counteract this, a large hole is cut from the bridge deck. A grove of 3 or 5 tall evergreens (Cedar or Fir) would that will provide a tall, towerlike landmark for people to head towards either from Belltown or Pike Place Market as well as a visual connection between the upper and lower spaces. The choice of local evergreens is made partially due to the lack of this sort of tree in much of this part of Seattle’s core. The source of the artificial stream will also occur here as a tower/fountain hidden within the grove of trees.

Site C natural connections

Site C is another opportunity for the derelict space to reconnect to the natural elements of the Pacific North West. This is done by the introduction of light, water and plant life. Stairs connect the side walks to the bridge deck on either side. This would create a dark and uninviting space underneath.

To counteract this, a large hole is cut from the bridge deck. A grove of 3 or 5 tall evergreens (Cedar or Fir) would that will provide a tall, towerlike landmark for people to head towards either from Belltown or Pike Place Market as well as a visual connection between the upper and lower spaces. The choice of local evergreens is made partially due to the lack of this sort of tree in much of this part of Seattle’s core. The source of the artificial stream will also occur here as a tower/fountain hidden within the grove of trees.