Tim Burgess' City View

Barcelona Lessons

Neal Peirce has an interesting piece on city planning well worth reading.  Check it out here.  Could Seattle pull off what Barcelona has done?  Yes, if we really want to. 

I can think of several areas of Seattle that could use some Barcelona-type innovation:

• the Aurora Avenue North corridor
• Interbay
• Georgetown
• the Rainier Avenue South corridor

and perhaps other areas, too.  What I like most about what Peirce writes about is how Barcelona has apparently integrated development with historic preservation, protection of homes for current residents, affordable housing incentives, and shared costs for infrastructure improvements. 

Closely related to urban development is the need for strong public school education.  David Brooks continues the discussion about education reform in this piece.  Brooks gives kudos to President Obama's insistence on education reform. (Read my post about education reform and transformation I witnessed during a recent visit to Mercer Middle School in Seattle.) 

The Future: Mercer Middle School and Metropolitan Seattle

Tuesday afternoon and evening was another one of those special times I frequently experience in my work as a member of the City Council.  Seeing all the good that’s happening in our city is encouraging and

Looking Forward Past November 3

Jon Talton has an interesting piece in today''s Seattle Times about out economic future.  Worth reading. Talton suggests that the future will be very different from what we're used to; I think he's right. 

Talton references the Brookings Institute and their work on the power of metropolitan areas.  One of Brookings' scholars, Bruce Katz, is coming back to Seattle on October 13 for a series of meetings and a public lecture at the University of Washington.  Katz is a thought leader on the importance of metro areas.  (One of my earlier posts about Katz is here.)

In his piece, Talton urges innovation coupled with savvy thinking about what might be.  It won't be easy. 

Big Vote On Downtown Park Boulevard

The Council voted 9-0 yesterday afternoon to create a four-block park boulevard on Bell Street between First and Fifth Avenues.  Read Seattle Times story here. 

This is a very big deal because this park boulevard will (1) improve pedestrian safety in this section of Belltown, one of the highest population density neighborhoods in the city, (2) improve public safety by bringing more people to the expanded sidewalks, and (3) increase our "green zone" in the center city. 

There is discussion underway about similar projects, including along Pike Street from the Market to the Convention Center, along Third Avenue, and perhaps in some outer neighborhoods.  All good ideas to further our goal of making Seattle the most walkable city in the country. 

A City's Future

Read this article from Saturday's Wall Street Journal.  It's about Chicago and the planning done there 100 years ago by Daniel Burnham, a man who had a grand vision for his city.  He wasn't afraid of aspirational goals and today's Chicago is grateful. 

Burnham is the guy who said, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood."  Nice.  He also plays a key role in the book, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, a Seattle-based writer.

Burnham got it right in Chicago and we can get it right here in Seattle.  Chicago's absolutely wonderful park on the lake could inspire what we might do along our central waterfront once the Alaskan Way Viaduct is removed.  Chicago's boulevards and parks that connect neighborhoods are not unlike what the Olmsted's designed for Seattle.  The Seattle Parks' Foundation Bands of Green project casts a great vision that would see the Olmsted plan completed. 

There are many other examples of forward-looking—visionary—projects in our good city: our Urban Centers and Villages, designed to accommodate higher residential density; the Spokane and Mercer Corridor projects, linked strategically with the replacement of the Viaduct with a new deep-bore tunnel; and, a city-wide streetcar network building on the success of the South Lake Union line. 

This is a great time to be in Seattle.  Fifty, even 100, years from now, people will look back and talk about leaders who had vision to get things done.  Burnham did it for Chicago.  We can do it for Seattle.

What's ironic about all this is that unless the buses run on time, unless the streets are clean, unless the electricity comes on when you flip the switch, unless political leaders are engaged and available to the people, the future is brushed aside.  That's why the basics of city government are so important, and that's an area where we need some additional focus. 

 

Montreal Gangs

Last night, Renee Cunningham, executive director of the Seattle Police Foundation, and I rode with a Sargent from Montreal's Eclipse police unit, a specialized squad of uniformed officers who focus on certain high offender street gang members.  There is a separate gang unit made up of detectives who build cases and identify gang leaders.

The gang problems in Montreal—about 20 street gangs operate citywide—involve prostitution, drugs, and illegal guns.  The Eclipse squad targets gang leaders who range in age from 30 to 45 years. 

Montreal's gangs include foreign gang members from Haiti, Jamaica, and other Latin American countries.  Juveniles are recruited "to do the dirty work."   We visited one strip club in downtown Montreal frequented by gang members.  Officers checked identifications of patrons and spoke with the owner, a woman with a government day job helping juvenile offenders make better choices (that was a massive disconnect, for sure).  The obvious question was whether the owner uses her day job to "recruit" dancers for her club.  Police suspect she does.

About a month ago Montreal police arrested the leaders of a motorcycle street gang—many remain in jail—who controlled much of the street prostitution and drug trafficking in the downtown core of the city.  In their absence, other, less organized gangs have moved to establish their own foothold.   

Montreal: City of Creativity

I'm in Montreal, Quebec with about 60 other Seattle-area business leaders and government officials.  (For the record, I am paying all costs associated with this trip from my personal funds.)  These inter-city study missions are sponsored by the City of Seattle and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce; the first was in 1983 (Baltimore). 

We arrived in Montreal last night and return to Seattle Friday evening.  The focus of the trip is Montreal's aerospace industry, transportation, health care, police services, especially anti-gang efforts, and the creative sector as a driver of economic growth.

Here are a few highlights so far . . .

Best Phrase:  "Transportation cocktail," as in what cities need when engaged in transportation planning.  The phrase was used this morning by Helen Fotopulos, mayor of the borough of Plateau Mont-Royal, one of 82 municipalities that make up greater Montreal.  Mayor Fotopulos said:  "The city has diversity in transportation options, everything from cars, subway, trollys, pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, a transportation cocktail really." 

Mayor Fotopulos (hands raised) describing her approach to urban planning, density, and transportation. 

Note Mayor Greg Nickels in background to the left of Mayor Fotopulos.  Councilmember Jean Godden is partially hidden on the far left. 

This photo was taken during a walking tour this morning that included an old section of the borough that has been redeveloped with small shops, bars, and restaurants while preserving affordable housing.

Best New Service:  Bixi Montreal is a new bicycle service launched two weeks ago in the central core of Montreal by the city government.  Users pay $78 per year for unlimited use of a bicycle in 30 minutes increments; exceed 30 minutes and you pay $1.50 per minute as a penalty.  The service is designed for short rides from point A to point B, not commuting or leisurely rides. Widely used in Europe, the service is aimed at commuters who use public transportation to get to work but might need a bicycle to run a quick errand or get across town for a meeting.  Just over 3,000 users have signed up so far.  By the end of May there will be 300 Bixi Montreal stations installed in the city.  The photo to the right shows Seattle transportation director Grace Crunican examining one of the Bixi bikes.  Bixi Montreal representatives are coming to Seattle in August to show off their bicycles and station technology.

I rode one of the Bixi bikes.  They are made in Quebec just for Bixi, have three speeds, and are heavy.  Thankfully, Montreal is relatively flat.  Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and Mayor Greg Nickels even took a little test ride. 

Best Experience:  Coming up tonight when I ride with Montreal police gang unit officers starting at 9:30. 

Roosevelt, Density, Neighborhood Concerns

I went on a walking tour of the Roosevelt neighborhood this morning, along with colleague Jean Godden.  Very informative.  I had two overwhelming thoughts.

First, we saw several rental properties owned by an absentee-landlord who clearly doesn't care one whit about the safety or tranquility of the neighborhood.  Nearly all his properties are run-down, filthy messes . . . and have been for years.  Shameful beyond belief.

Second, a Sound Transit light rail station will be constructed in this neighborhood in several years providing an opportunity for a neighborhood transformation. The residents I walked with can't wait!  It's important that future development protect the cohesiveness of the neighborhood, open up views of Roosevelt High School, and protect the single-family residential neighborhood to the east. 

The Roosevelt station area, if developed carefully, can become a shining example of good neighborhood-focused planning: higher density tucked in close to the station, mixed use, increased walkability, and environmentally-sensitive design enhances public safety (e.g., lighting, open space, more eyes on the street, etc.) and protects neighborhood character and traditional views.  It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds up north in the Roosevelt neighborhood. 

Alaskan Way Corridor Perspective

In the next few weeks, our region will make critically important decisions about transportation along Seattle's waterfront.  The decisions we make will have huge impact on our economic viability, our quality of life, and our environment.  These are 100-year decisions and require razor sharp objectivity, creativity, and leadership. 

I have four personal criteria that I will use to evaluate the decisions to be made; all four are important and I've listed them here in no particular order.  Will the final decisions . . .

• Enhance, stimulate, and grow our economic diversity—maritime, manufacturing, freight, tourism, and downtown retail and service industries.
• Enhance mobility of people through and in and around our central city—buses, streetcars, vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles.
• Enhance and create new public places—more open space and parks, better sight lines/views, better connections to the waterfront.
• Enhance public safety—create an environment where people are and feel safe 24/7 throughout the downtown district and waterfront.

There are three decision makers:  Governor Gregoire, County Executive Sims, and Mayor Nickels.  At the end of the day, the Governor is the key player here.  She will in fact make the final decision, in my opinion. 

Based on what I've read and heard so far, I favor

Exchange of Values: Incentive Zoning and Growth

This afternoon, the Council will vote on important legislation related to urban growth, density, and affordable housing.  The Council bill is the result of multiple committee meetings, public hearings, workshops, and dozens of conversations over the past year. 

The legislation we vote on today provides robust incentives to builders in exchange for affordable housing.  The legislation advances sound public policy—clustering of density with diversity of housing.  And, the legislation reflects what our city desires—growth that is limited to select areas, contributes to our diversity, and is socially just. 

I’ve put more time into this issue than any other.  I’ve read countless articles, studies, books, and letters.  I’ve listened to speakers tell me that this legislation is an excellent step and will spur the construction of much needed affordable housing. Others have said that this legislation will stifle development and put up insurmountable barriers to new construction.  Still others believe the legislation is a give-away to developers.