Everyday Landscape in Cal Anderson and Thomas Street Park

Min Koh

Placed in the densely populated area of Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson Park and Thomas Street Park provide good get-away spaces to the surrounding neighbors. Although two parks place in the same neighborhood of the Capitol Hill, they have many differences. Cal Anderson Park is a large park that placed between Denny Way and Pine Street with 11th AVE on the West, and a block away from Broadway to the East. Because of its location surrounded by busy streets and Seattle Central Community College, Cal Anderson is open to large number of floating populations. The park is also well organized with different activity areas for the users and neighbors: play area, public restrooms, water feature, soccer and baseball, and outdoor tennis courts with lights. Unlike Cal Anderson, which is 7.37 acre wide, Thomas Street Park is only 0.25 acre small site that located on the corner of Thomas Street and Bellevue Way. Not much program due to its small size, hilled grass area with one bench is all. Since two parks are only few blocks away from each other and take about 7 minutes of walking, I thought those two parks will make a good comparison to each other about who are the users? What kinds of activities are they looking for and happening on two different parks?

Seattle Dogs and Insurgent Space

Mackenzie Waller

Domesticated dogs are an embodiment of both culture and nature. In an urban setting, the domesticated dog becomes a centerpiece in the power and politics of manipulating the landscape. A less studied area of urban spaces fall on the border between the human/dog sphere. These are places that fall outside the boundary of these more standardized, structured spaces, and are important because they demonstrate ways that users (dog-owners) modify spaces and push legal boundaries in order to serve their needs.

The most important aspect of exploring the impact of loose space and insurgent space is to address its impact on public opinion. These spaces are often the site of behavior that is outside that which is recognized as ‘acceptable’. At times these activities have been deemed illegal, adding to a negative public opinion. This exposure to diversity allows for shifts in public opinions. Some examples of these types of insurgent spaces are shown here and they often have a much more powerful impact on public opinion than the legally sanctioned methods of programming activities.

View Larger Map

Marginalized- a DIY skatepark

A community treasure forged from the will of individuals, yet it is hidden from the public eye. Marginal Way Skatepark resides under an overpass in the industrial neighborhood of SODO. Removed from residential neighborhoods, covered by an on-ramp, and flanked by rail tracks and a trucking route, it is an unlikely place for a community asset. Fed up with the city’s unpredictability, the DIY skatepark on Marginal Way was built by volunteer labor and public contributions. In the wake of the demolition of the Seattle Center Skatepark, boarders in Seattle rallied together to appropriate their own park in the margins of Seattle’s urban framework.

This unlikely location though, is what makes Marginal Way a viable space. Free of public scrutiny, the setting provides a loose site to build the park without fear of it being ripped out from under them again. The inconspicuous site had existed as a haphazard site of prostitution, illegal dumping, illicit drug use, and homeless camps. During most of the day it remained vacant and unused. Though the intervention to construct a skatepark would alter its composition, it does not inhibit continued transgressional behavior. It remains loose and unpredictable. The diversity of encounters now range from riders and junkies, to concerts and kids.

Michael Lewis

University Heights Center for Community

Josho Somine
LARCH 598
Winter 2009
Final Site Assessment

Site Summary
The University Heights Center for Community (UHCC) occupies a full city block north and west of NE 50th St. and University Way NE in Seattle. A large old building, formerly an elementary school, occupies the center of the block, and is surrounded by parking lots and a variety of small open spaces. The building facilities are managed by a nonprofit organization, and several other organizations rent spaces inside. Some additional rooms are available for classes and events.
The spatial and temporal uses outside the building are similarly diverse. Paved parking makes up about 2/3 of all the open space, and has multiple tenants with jurisdiction over certain sections of the lots. One large lot is turned over to the district Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings, which is heavily attended year-round. The site also contains 2 playgrounds, one private and one public, a community garden, a small enclosed lawn, and a public entrance plaza. (See site diagram and context diagram for details of the layout.)
The Center’s stated focus is “our local community, children, arts and education, and continuing education” , and they encourage a changeable variety of tenant organizations and activities. (See current list in Appendix A) Although there is an effort to be welcoming, there is also some conflict implicit with the “seedier” aspects of the adjoining neighborhood, which is reflected in an abundance of fencing and regulatory signage all around the site.

Slideshow:

More tags

Test