Your City: Inside

Has anyone been to one of the alley parties?  Todd Vogel, Executive Director of International Sustainability Institute and James Graham Principal at Graham Baba Architects were talking about Your City: Inside at our 2^nd Design Salon focused on discovering hidden spaces in and around the city of Seattle.

Todd Vogel has been working on the idea of “greening the alleys” of Seattle and walked us through his journey in making the alley behind his Pioneer Square office building a vibrant and activated space to display art and discover human life.  Who would have thought that healthy and exciting activities could take hold of an alley?  With a 16 foot wide rough terrain walking surface and limited views to daylight, Todd set out to open his office to the alley.  He gathered community members to discuss issues with the current state of alleys.  The usual issues arose with concerns about unhealthy behavior and trash.

After a 3 year study of Public Space / Public Life Study in Seattle where the walking patterns of people were examined, they started developing concepts for their alley.  Two chairs, a table and a few potted plants later and things started to change.  They threw a party in their alley and then another and so on until they were getting 500 people.  They have had music venues and artists works added in along the way.  The words “Waste Not”, made out of 1600 sanded plastic bottles by two local artists is proudly displayed in the fashion of a European festival of lights over the alley space.  From there the alley has become a rotating art gallery and has other neighboring businesses joining in on the endeavors.  Much coordination and many resources including the Seattle Department of Planning and Development and the Seattle Department of Transportation have been involved in making this project a reality.

Starting June 11^th through July 7^th you can be a part of watching the World Cup soccer in Nord Alley and taste foods from a host of different ethnic groups.  The idea is to encourage developers, business owners,  elected officials and citizens to get excited about the possibilities of greening our city’s alleys as hidden spaces to discover, wander, shop, dine in, and feel proud of.  We have done it in the market, let’s keep going.

James Graham has been giving new life to old buildings in Seattle neighborhoods by redefining building uses and redesigning street fronts that have for years not been pedestrian friendly.  Years prior these buildings were used as car dealerships or warehouses and did not need to address the right of way to encourage pedestrian traffic.  With a new interest in revitalizing neighborhoods and recognizing the value in the character of the old buildings, he is finding ways to allow the old buildings to open up to the sidewalks and blur the lines between inside and outside space through the use of awning gestures, signage, sliding doors, and other architectural elements.  More businesses are now engaging the sidewalks and creating unique and interesting areas to be a part of.  The street life comes alive with outdoor seating and street food vendors.  In addition to these streetscapes there is a new discovery of the in-between spaces of buildings.  Leftover spaces become interesting small courtyards where cafes can spill into or restaurants can provide outdoor / indoor type seating that enjoys the texture of surrounding buildings and an intimate human scale.

What can you contribute to the creation of a special city with so much to discover beyond what meets the eye?  Dig deeper and see what you can discover in Seattle, “inside” the city.

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Jennifer Thuma

Thanks to Chuck Wolfe for the Nord Alley photo (top), from his articles in myurbanist and seattlepi.com