Floodable Urban Landscapes for a Resilient City: Potential for the City of Seattle

Abstract

As a professional project for Seattle Public Utilities, this thesis explores the potential of the urban landscape to act as an integral component of the water infrastructure system as a climate adaptation strategy that simultaneously creates dynamic, multifunctional public open spaces. As an investigation in support of SPU’s Integrated System Plan, this thesis explores the following questions: • What can examples of floodable spaces beyond the context of Seattle teach us about how effectively they deliver functional drainage performance along with usable open space? • How could Seattle benefit from this concept? • What might be priority locations for floodable spaces in the City of Seattle? • How might a concept for floodable spaces in the Aurora-Licton urban village demonstrate how recreational space can work in tandem with drainage function for climate resilience, ecological health, and quality of life improvements?