Field Notes: Taylor Ave – Seattle, Washington
There are times when an iterative design process fails. There are a variety of reasons for this. Lack of money, waning stakeholder interest, or no champion for the project who pushes for continuous improvement. Such was the case for this block of Taylor Ave between Denny Way and 5th Ave in Seattle. It has many elements that in another setting or context that could be wonderful – movable furniture, plantings, and pavement painting. Where this particular project appears to have ended up short is that after the initial demonstration project was undertaken, no follow up action occurred. That is unfortunate because several hundred housing units are within walking distance of what could be a charming small park. Instead it is a monument to neglect and a planning process that has overlooked working on a small scale as well as a large one.
Additional Reading
Growing Vine Street
October 21, 2016 by SDOT Blog
SDOT is collaborating with the Growing Vine Street team to install a new public space in Belltown!
This Pavement to Parks project is part of the SDOT Adaptive Streets programand will use low-cost materials to repurpose part of Taylor Ave between 5th Ave and Denny Way for the “headwaters” of the Growing Vine Street project.
The pavement is painted from a bird’s eye view of a dense tree canopy with waters running beneath it. Concrete wash out bins, typically used on construction projects to protect stormwater, will be used as large planters. Tables, chairs and umbrellas will also be placed on site once the installation is complete.
Pavement to Parks projects are temporary installations, then we monitor over a two year period. If these spaces are deemed successful by the community, they can then be made permanent.
SDOT and the Growing Vine Street team hosted a community event this summer and received unanimous support for this project. SDOT also went door to door to neighboring businesses and residents, and received positive feedback. The concept builds off years of planning to repurpose this underutilized street space into a community open space.
Come see the street transformation in progress!
For more information on the Adaptive Street Program, please visit: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/adaptivestreets.htm.