Seattle’s Food Forest Takes Root

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Master plan, showing full growth after a trial run in the southern plots.

A new public food forest is opening over the next year in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood with fruit trees, shrubs, and other food plants that will be available to all visitors. The park will also have private gardening plots, known in Seattle as p-patches, and encourage residents to learn about permaculture. At seven acres and on city-owned land, the Beacon Food Forest will be the nation’s largest addition to urban agriculture and the local food movement.

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Posted in Agriculture, Food, Government, Land Use, Landscape, Policy, Public Space, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

West Coast Leads Electric Vehicle Sales

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A Tesla Model S. (blogcdn.com)

As electric vehicles gain a foothold in the U.S. auto market, manufacturers are seeing their highest EV sales in west coast cities and states. Data from research firm R.L. Polk shows that Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are three of the five cities that account for 52 percent of electric vehicles on the roads, while California and Washington rank 1st and 3rd, respectably, for sales. These locations are also responsible for significant shares of hybrid sales. Surprisingly, neither Portland nor Oregon rank high on either list, though that could be because of its relatively lower population. The findings can be explained through government incentives, EV infrastructure, and progressive tendencies of west coast residents.

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Study: U.S. Air Pollution Causes 200,000 Early Deaths Annually

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A study published this summer by the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment quantifies the startling health impact of air pollution on Americans’ health, finding that about 200,000 people die per year a decade before they otherwise would have. The leading causes are road vehicles and electricity generation, making the case for cleaner power and transportation all the more pressing.

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Problems on SR-520 Floating Bridge Causing Delays, Cost Overruns

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Waves batter the existing 520 bridge. (Seattle Rex)

The project to replace the Governor Albert D. Rosellini/Evergreen Point Bridge, the world’s longest floating bridge, is facing costly delays due to design and construction problems by WSDOT and contractor Kiewit. Now due to open a year and a half late by mid-2016, the $4.25 billion project will replace the 7,500 foot span across Lake Washington between Seattle and Bellevue with increased traffic, pedestrian, transit capacity. The 1963 structure is part of State Highway 520 and an integral connection between communities in western Washington, but delays have contributed to safety concerns and excess costs.

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New Columbia River Bridge Project Cancelled

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Render of the proposed new bridge. (CRC)

The Columbia River Crossing, a joint venture between the Washington and Oregon departments of transportation, was recently cancelled. The project would have replaced the pair of Interstate 5 bridges, built in 1917 and and 1958, rebuilt several highway interchanges north and south of the Columbia River, included pedestrian and bicycle paths, and integrated the extension of a light rail line from Portland to Vancouver. In June the Washington State Senate failed to pass a transportation package that would have included partial funding, $450 million that matched Oregon’s contribution, for the $3.4 billion project.

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Mixed-Use Project to Increase Urban Vitality in D.C.

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Rooftop terraces step down to alleyways. (CityCenterDC)

For a little break from the Northwest we venture to the nation’s capital in the other Washington, where an exciting urban design project is under construction. On a 10-acre megablock previously home to a convention center, the CityCenterDC project will create new living, lodging, retail, office, and public space. I had the unique opportunity to hear from the project designers and developer at an architecture student conference in D.C. in July. The project is unique in its scale and ambitious intention to increase pedestrian liveliness in the city’s downtown.

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Posted in Density, Housing, Land Use, Mixed Use, Parks, Public Space, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seattle Waterfront Plan Remains Car-Centric

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A vision of the future Seattle waterfront. (WSDOT)

The Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle, a concrete double-decker relic of the 1950s highway boom, was slated for removal after damage from the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. The WSDOT, in partnership with the City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, and other agencies, demolished the southern half of the structure in 2011, and in July the the world’s largest boring machine started work on a 2 mile, $4.25 billion tunnel to replace this portion of state Highway 99. With the rest of the viaduct coming down in 2016, Waterfront Seattle, a partnership between the city and community, is leading the opportunity to reinvent the downtown shoreline. While the waterfront plan exhibits new attractions and a pedestrian focus, much of the vision is still dedicated to vehicle traffic.

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Posted in Biking, Buses, Editorial, Government, Land Use, Landscape, Parks, Rail, Roads, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

New Job, New Commute

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian
Clouds over the crowd.

Clouds over the crowd.

Although I’ve been traveling to Seattle frequently this summer, today was special because it included my first full day at a new job. I am in a part-time student position at University of Washington Commuter Services, and my job is to control access to parking lots, collect entry fees, and give directions during campus events. It’s not glamorous by any means, and is ironic given my views on urbanism, but it’s an easy way to earn some spending money my upcoming two years at UW.

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Washington State Ferries Upgrading Fleet

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian
MV Kitsap on its way to Seattle in August 2012.

MV Kitsap on its way to Seattle in August 2012.

The Washington State Ferries (WSF) system is the largest of its kind in the United States, operating 22 vessels and carrying over 22 million passengers per year on 10 routes. The service is operated by the state Department of Transportation and has been adding new vessels in recent years.

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My Time at a City Committee Meeting

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian
One of the renders I produced for a city project last year.

One of the renders I produced for a city project last year.

Currently and last summer I’ve had the unique opportunity to intern with my hometown planning department. This year an anonymous art donation prompted the new planning director, who is a graduate of the same program I will be attending, to reach out to me for help defining public art locations in case of future donations. Over a couple months I performed informal site surveys and assembled a report on where art could go on the city’s properties, and presented it this morning to the Public Properties Committee.

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