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8/14/2019 Seattle Viaduct - Part 1 - Defining the Problem
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UrbanismSeattlePublic Space &Repairing the Urban Fabric
Paul Brokenshire, April Pierce, Jody Dickerson, Kitty Leung, Ross Papa
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Like many modern North American cities, change and redevelopment is occurring at a rapid pace in Seattle
as the citys core becomes post-industrial. The downtown core is resurrecting itself and with thatresurrection has come a steady increase in high-density urban residential growth.
But as this growth and redevelopment continues, the citys long focus on vehicular infrastructure
become a problem and the same freeways that contributed to the cores collapse in the past are visible holes in the development that surrounds them.
In the case of the Alaskan highway this hole cuts across the citys waterfront and separates the g
neighbourhood of Belltown from the urban energy surrounding Pike Place. This proposal intends
in some initial possibilities for stitching this fabric back together through the conversion of a sect
Alaskan highway into a pedestrian focused public zone.
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Site Propos
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A
B
C
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.
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.
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.
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Questions Q1How can the emerging residential neighbourhood in Belltown be stitched
into the surrounding urban space and neighboring communities?
Belltown
Pike PlaceMarket
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Should people be meant to stay or move?
Should movement be left unprogrammed?
How can we make use of the topography of the site and use the verti-
cal dimension as an opportunity rather than an obstacle?
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?
Q3Q2
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How do we deal with the Day Workers center currently occupying
the site in a sensitive and appropriate manner?
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?
Q5Q4
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Idea
Public Space and Neighbourhood Identity through
quality pedestrian links instantiated by elementsnative to the Pacific Northwest and
opportunities of interpersonal interaction.
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Considerations
Day Workers
The day workers facility that currently exists on site is an unattractive cluster of temporary build-
ings 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 Belltowns aggressive gentrification. To
simply eliminate the facility would be one more step in th is 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.
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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 p eople. 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 a
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 t
occuring upon the streets, with streets such as 1st Avenue being lively and lined with small
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 b e and see others within Belltown's urban
neighbourhood is one of the primary g oals 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 picturesquepedestrian 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.
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Water
Despite, or perhaps because of the Pacific Northwests 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.
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ProcessProccessing with the preceding questions in mind led to the devethe plan for the changes to the site.
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Vehicular Trafc
Pedestrian Travel
Pedestrian Lingering
Current UseAs 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 trafc grid.
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Vehicular Trafc
Pedestrian Travel
Pedestrian Lingering
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 efcient 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.
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Vehicular Trafc
Pedestrian Travel
Pedestrian Lingering
Projected Use Pattern
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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.
Site Apublic square
Parks: passive
peaceful
introverted
Squares: active
extroverted
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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 Atop view / fountain
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Site Broad, water and lightas 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 s hine through the deck down into the
underside without the details being visible.
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Site Bunderside;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. Th ere 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.
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Site Cnatural 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, tower-
like 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 Seattles core. The source of the
artificial stream will also occur here as a
tower/fountain hidden within the grove of trees.
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