Equitable Improvements to Public Space in the Right-of-Way

Abstract

As one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, Seattle is quickly losing its potential public open space. The need to create more public space with its increasing population will only intensify. The benefits of green space and more generally public space to public healthy and overall community well-being are widely known. Cities have been trying to deal with the lack of access a percentage of their populations has to public open space, especially since that percentage tends to be made up of minority and low-income populations. One potential solution to the declining public open space lies within the public right-of-way (ROW). ROW is publicly owned and supports the movement of people, goods, and services. It can serve as a vital resource with potential to be repurposed into successful public space. In Seattle, the ROW makes up 27 percent of the total land, and a large portion is currently underused, in terms of the benefits it could provide to the public. This thesis examines three Seattle Department of Transportation ROW programs that seek to encourage public space within the ROW. These programs are significant assets yet there is a distinct lack of participation in them within minority and low-income areas of the city. Through a study of the relevant literature, precedents from other American cities, and a geospatial analysis, I provide recommendations for making these programs more equitable to foster more meaningful public space within Seattle’s ROW.