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

Vacant Lots - Abandoned Potential

Leslie Batten

Vacant lots are scattered like patches throughout the city. Defined as "a lot with no permanent buildings", these lots take on any number of forms that allow for a variety of functions: habitat, garbage dump, exhibit space, water retention reservoir, community unifier, or just left over space. Most of us speed by without stopping to look, but with some exploration these spaces are more than just a lot devoid of a built structure. Each vacant space has a story to tell. They all have a history, an owner, passerby's and neighbors that shape these spaces. In turn, vacant spaces also influence their surroundings for better or worse. They are palimpsests of how we use the land over time, and allude to the future potential for urban renewal or redevelopment.

Many vacant lots are protected by a chain link fence that forms a barrier, as if to protect a valuable asset or to preserve its state of transition. While others remain open and unguarded. Some spaces indicate previous development with hints of foundations, or parking lots overgrown with grass and weeds. Others are neat, tidy spaces that look designed. In some cases these spaces provide a bit of nature in the midst of an otherwise built out and highly urban area. Others are in such a state of decay that they are wounds in the landscape and a source of outrage for their community. Still other vacant spaces provide for other temporary uses.

These are just a few vacant spaces scattered between Greenwood, Fremont, Ravenna and the University District. Many others with similar and unique traits are spread throughout the city, forming a connection between micro- and macro-urbanism. They too express a personality, a history, and hold a story that is more telling than just an empty lot.


View Larger Map

Bridging Gaps

Lea Anne Burke

In the process of connecting A to B, the vast network of roads and bridges are an integral part of daily life. Looking ahead to where you are going sometimes leads to overlooking where you are. While during the planning and construction phases, the spaces under bridges may not be intentionally, or intensively, planned. Nature abhors a vacuum and unplanned use quickly occurs. For this assignment, I have chosen to look at art created underneath bridges. Accessibility, visibility, square footage of unprogrammed space, and type of bridge construction can dictate types of art that can occur there. It can be sanctioned coordinated community projects, installations by individual artists, or the quick dashes of graffiti.

The University District has examples of all three types of art, all underneath University Bridge, between the Burke-Gillman trail and Campus Parkway. The sites are highly visible, easily accessible and have fair to high levels of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic. There is street graffiti, a large mural, and a sculptural installation. These pieces claim and define the character of the sites. They evoke reactions. What does it mean? Who made it? Should I be scared? Do I like it? Whatever the answers, they have served their purpose and asked the questions.