People's Waterfront Coalition
From More Perfect
If the Viaduct didn't exist, would we build it today?The opportunity is unprecedented. The Alaskan Way Viaduct was damaged and must come down, freeing up public land on Seattle's downtown shore. This demands a holistic approach to the future of this land, where moving vehicles is only one of a host of concerns. How could Seattle rebuild a freeway along its shore without exploring the greater possibilities? A Better Solution for the Alaskan Way Viaduct: Transit + StreetsThere are now many national examples of cities removing highways, dispersing the traffic, and reclaiming the land for better uses -- and not one has ever wished to have the highway back. Researchers have studied over 100 cases of highway removal or downsizing in various cities, and found that redistributing traffic onto other facilities and modes works -- if well planned and managed. Not one of these cities experienced the traffic chaos predicted by naysayers. They concluded “predictions of traffic problems are often unnecessarily alarmist, and that, given appropriate local circumstances, significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur, with people making a far wider range of behavioral responses than has traditionally been assumed.” Let's target our collective brainpower toward this challenge: how can Seattle provide mobility at a reasonable cost while reaping the broadest public benefit? Let's constructively approach the mobility challenge with the full set of tools available: better connectivity in the street grid, better transit, a new local urban street, better traffic management, denser (more walkable) neighborhoods, etc.. Earthquakes and the Embarcadero: The San Francisco Solution City leaders decided to not rebuild, but to use the opportunity to regenerate a healthy neighborhood on the water. And what about the traffic that was previously carried by the freeway? The people of San Francisco adapted, using a variety of other solutions, including surface streets and transit; there was no noticeable increase in congestion. Meanwhile, development in this area blossomed, and San Francisco reclaimed a valuable asset to the City. What About the Tunnel?While the People's Waterfront Coalistion shares the Mayor's vision to recapture the waterfront, the proposed tunnel is not what Seattleites are imagining. This highway will only be partially lidded; it’s actually an aerial highway (or possibly an unlidded trench) from Pine Street to Battery Street and a wide surface highway south of King Street. Traffic will not disappear from sight, and in some areas the new highway will be a much worse barrier to the water than the Viaduct. Only drivers bypassing downtown are expected to use it, since there are no exits into the core of our city. A decade of construction will decimate the 1200 businesses along this corridor. With only 5% of the funding from the feds, elected officials are raising local and state taxes to pay for the multi-billion project. It is a huge, complex, expensive project for a very limited user base. |
Transit + Streets Other LinksAbout People's Waterfront CoalitionThe People's Waterfront Coalition is a coalition of concerned citizens, planners and urban designers united in the belief that Seattle's downtown waterfront is too important, too rich in potential, to be used as a highway for another 100 years. We want to save Seattle taxpayers billions by avoiding megaproject construction. Inject new, year-round economic vitality into a stagnant tourist zone. Catalyze a more residential downtown by creating a generous waterfront park. Refresh rather than injure Elliott Bay's delicate marine ecology. Invest in mass transit and a better connected street-grid to benefit all Seattleites. Create a place for future generations where the urban and natural worlds mix, and in which our city's character is enriched by that confluence: a real place for everyone, not just automobiles. Contact Informationweb: http://www.peopleswaterfront.org P.O. Box 2332 Additional ResourcesInterested in more information and evidence from other cities? Check out these resources: Local news on the viaduct decision
San Francisco’s successesReal world evidence: malleable demand
PWC Web Site Links |
Imagine Seattle's Waterfront in a Post-Viaduct Future
 Washington Street Beach |
 Connecting Pike Place Market to the Waterfront |
 Boardwalk & Beach at Pike Street |
 Alaskan Way at Marion Street |
