Politics
Best of 2010: How to make urban alleys work
An imaginative design competition focuses on one alley in Pioneer Square, coming up with ideas we should apply around the city.
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Urban Design
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Seattle & King County
Making a waterfront park that fits Seattle's culture
James Corner, the prime planner of the central waterfront park, gets off on the right foot — avoiding the sweeping gesture and focusing instead on "small bursts of idiosyncratic energy."
Seattle & King County
Waterfront Park: Courted by Corner
The lead designer for Seattle's central waterfront park provides a seductive first look at his concepts. He proposes nothing less than to "re-center" the region around Elliott Bay.
Tech
Seattle is killing retail by requiring too much of it
A better model, from Britain and Vancouver, is to concentrate stores on "high streets," turning others into mostly quiet residential streets. And there are other ways to animate streets than putting in struggling shops.
Politics
Recession is producing a needed reset on land use
Instead of the foolish rush of development during the housing bubble, cities are now stopping to think about how to foster smart growth. We're taking apartments more seriously and putting civic investments where they can stimulate good private development.