first hill
pavement to parks
team
Framework, Lead Consultant
First Hill Improvement Assoc
Alexa McIntyre
clients
City of Seattle Department of Transportation
City of Seattle Department of Planning & Development
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
First Hill is a dense urban neighborhood adjacent to downtown Seattle. Unable to solve the pressing need for additional parks and open space in the neighborhood, the City began to consider testing the use of underutilized right-of-way as open space. Framework was asked to work with three City departments–transportation, planning, and parks–to consider ways to connect parks and publicly-owned space to enhance livability in the First Hill neighborhood.
The plan includes open space analysis and criteria, opportunities, linkages, and materials. Improvements are recommended for a neighborhood greenway as part of the bicycle network, as well as street concept plans for University Street, 8th Avenue, Terrace Street, and Terry Avenue.
An Action Plan, developed along with the Public Realm Plan, has already put projects in place to move ahead with activities and interim improvements.Two Pavement Parks have been installed in two locations along University Street. These pavement parks serve as new public spaces for the neighborhood.
They are intended to be temporary (2-5 years) in their current design state and serve as a prototype to be researched over time. The research results will inform the long-term design and function of each park space.