Seattle Center – A Chance to be Great
The Front Page of the Seattle Time’s reads ” What would you do with Seattle Center?. This is a question I have been wishing our city would ask a talented urban planner/designer for sometime. The Seattle Center is an embarassing blemish on our city, a city that has made strides of late to move towards being a world class city. Recent efforts like the overhaul of the SAM and the creation of the beautiful Olympic Scuplture Park have given hope. I admit that I am often skeptical about the resolve of Seattle to step into the financial commitment and inconvenience that progress requires. One example is the current debate going on about local public transportation. I am excited about the light rail making it’s entrance unto the scene and look forward to more to come, but I am bummed that we are just getting this done now. Deeply integrated public transit is a mark of any great city and we have been working on the principle of getting by rather than being a world leader in this respect and I think Seattle can do better. This brings me back to the Seattle Center. In the article today City Councilman Tom Rasmussen says “You can’t bulldoze the place and start over. You have to start the redevelopment with a number of givens.” The Space Needle is untouchable. So are the Monorail, Pacific Science Center, McCaw Hall, Fisher Pavilion, Experience Music Project, International Fountain and a few other buildings. The city also has committed to a new skateboard park at Second Avenue North and Thomas Street. I think that these conditions will not allow us to make the bold changes that the Seattle Center needs so badly. If we are committed to making the Seattle Center something we can enjoy and be proud of we need to be willing to make real change- put everything on the table. I hope this process is driven by a desire to make a shift in self identity, to reimagine our urban space and to step up tp the plate and make our city kick ass.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit a