Category Archives: Public Space

The Social Benefits of Lidding Interstate 5

Posted on August 29, 2026 by Scott Bonjukian

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, equity in a social sense means “freedom from disparities in the way people of different races, genders, etc. are treated”, and often more specifically referring to “freedom from disparities in the way people of different … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Government, Housing, Land Use, Lid I-5, Megaprojects, Parks, Public Participation, Public Space, Transportation | Leave a comment

Checking in on Convention Center Public Benefits

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Scott Bonjukian

It’s been nearly two years since the Seattle Convention Center’s newest building opened at 900 Pine Street and started hosting events. The structure occupies two city blocks in Downtown Seattle and was likely the most expensive single building in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Government, Housing, Land Use, Lid I-5, Megaprojects, Public Participation, Public Space, Transportation, Walking | Tagged addition, biking, coalition, community package, construction, convention center, cycling, news, public benefits, Seattle, summit, transportation | Leave a comment

Public Risks Being Left Behind as Downtown Seattle Land Runs Out

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Scott Bonjukian

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain As Seattle’s development boom continues without any sign of stopping, the city is rapidly approaching a point where Downtown is completely built out and there is no land left to … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Land Use, Policy, Public Space, Schools | Tagged acquisition, affordable, agencies, analysis, Belltown, calculation, Chinatown, civic, Commercial Core, community center, demand, denny triangle, downtown, fire station, governments, growth, historic, housing, infrastructure, International District, land, landmark, library, parks, Pioneer Square, plan, Planning, public, public space, residents, Seattle, supply, utility | 2 Comments

Seattle Convention Center Hosting Public Benefit Event December 7

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Scott Bonjukian

The next phase of the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) is being planned, and associated with it may be millions of dollars in discretionary public benefit funding. Occupying four city blocks, the WSCC Addition project will transform a long-neglected corner … Continue reading →

Posted in Land Use, Lid I-5, Megaprojects, Public Participation, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged addition, affordable housing, alley, architecture, campaign, Capitol Hill, City Council, City of Seattle, convention center, cost, denny triangle, design, Design Commision, details, event, expansion, First Hill, Freeway Park, funding, funds, GGN, I-5, Interstate 5, lid, lidding, LMN Architects, Melrose Promenade, open house, Pine Street Group, plan, public, public benefits, render, schedule, SDOT, Seattle, section, sidewalk, street, vacation, view, Washington State Convention Center, WSCC | Leave a comment

Melrose Promenade Awarded $3 Million for Construction

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Scott Bonjukian

Last week the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) released its recommendations for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal transportation funding. The Urbanist has the rundown on the most high profile local projects, including improvements for Denny Way and partial … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Parks, Public Art, Public Space, Transportation, Walking | Tagged 3, Avenue, award, Bellevue Place Park, bike lane, Bike Master Plan, City, community, concept plan, Department of Transportaiton, funding, grant, greenway, improvements, input, Melrose Promenade, Mike Kent, million, pedestrian, plan, process, protected bike lane, PSRC, Puget Sound Regional Council, safety, SDOT, Seattle, sidewalk, street, three | 2 Comments

Vote No on Seattle Initiative 123

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Scott Bonjukian

It’s time to vote down one of the most disastrous ballot measures to come before Seattle voters in years: Initiative 123, a rouge attempt to disrupt over a decade of planning and waste millions of dollars in design for Seattle’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Public Space, Roads, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking, Water | Tagged 123, aquarium, ballot, campaign, City Council, cost, design, details, drawings, election, expansion, Friends, garden bridge, Heidi Hughes, I-123, impacts, Initiative, issues, Kate Martin, Lisa Richmond, measure, no, Park My Viaduct, PDA, Pike Place Market, plan, problems, renders, seawall, section, vote no, Waterfront Seattle, yes | 1 Comment

University Link Opens To Great Fanfare

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Scott Bonjukian

Twenty years ago, when voters first approved Sound Move, the idea of rapid rail transit in Seattle was only a fuzzy concept. It was something that had been declined by 1960s voters and only the oldest residents might have recalled … Continue reading →

Posted in Density, Land Use, Megaprojects, Mixed Use, Public Art, Rail, Transportation | Tagged buses, Capitol Hill, connections, cost, expansion, frequency, King County, light rail, location, map, metro, opening, opening day, schedule, Seattle, service, sound transit, stations, transit, University Link, university of washington, uw | 4 Comments

Why I Call Myself an Urbanist

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Scott Bonjukian

I was recently invited to to participate in a panel discussion pitting urbanism against NIMBYism (Not In My BackYard-ism). Asked to represent the “urbanist” perspective, this got me thinking about it meant to be an urbanist, how urbanism is defined, and if … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Housing, Land Use, Public Space, Resources, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged cities, definition, development, environmentalism, growth, life, living, McGinn, places, renassiance, The Northwest Urbanist, urbanism, urbanist, walkability | 1 Comment

The Case for Lidding I-5 in Downtown Seattle

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

Amid Seattle’s rapidly growing inner neighborhoods remains the urban scar of Interstate 5, a massive concrete and steel ribbon that is the lasting legacy of 20th century transportation engineers. It helps move thousands of people and tons of freight every … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Editorial, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Parks, Public Participation, Public Space, Roads, Transportation, Walking | Tagged addition, article, cap, City Council, city planning, cost, Dallas, deck, downtown, e-mail, engineering, estimate, expansion, Facebook, finance, Freeway Park, Friends of Lidding I-5, group, I-5, idea, Interstate 5, Klyde Warren Park, legislature, lid, map, money, picture, plan, post, proposal, rendering, Scott Bonjukian, Seattle, structure, The Northwest Urbanist, thesis, traffic, transportation, update, urban design, urban planning, walking, Washington state, Washington State Convention Center, WSCC, WSDOT | 23 Comments

Seattle to Acquire Sisley Properties in Roosevelt

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

On Monday the Seattle City Council will vote on whether to acquire a one-fifth-acre property from Hugh Sisley, an infamous slumlord in the city’s Roosevelt neighborhood. The city has been doing battle with Sisley for years over code violations and … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Land Use, Parks, Public Space | Tagged 14th Avenue NE, affordable housing, condemn, demolition, Ed Murray, eminent domain, fees, fines, green street, light rail, litigation, park, Parks Department, Pete Holmes, properties, property, public housing, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Sisley, Sisleys, street, urban village | Leave a comment