Pedestrianizing Pike Street: Continuing to re-envision the right of way of Pike Street in Capitol Hill

Abstract

The right of way between Broadway and 12th Avenue on Pike Street un Capitol Hill has been identified as a place of interest for pedestrian-oriented design solutions by Capitol Hill community members and the city. In the summers of 2015 and 2017, the Seattle Department of Public Transportation’s Public Space Management Group has hosted temporary street closures to address issues of safety and the community’s desire to repurpose the right of way. These events were held in the evening hours. Community members have voiced concerns that the nightlife orientation of these street closures may result in the area being viewed as solely a bar scene when there exist many more uses of the site. In order to address this, this public life study looked into how the site functions throughout the day. The People Street Program Evaluation method of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation was adapted to analyze the study area. Pedestrian counts, activity scans, pedestrian intercept surveys, and business operator surveys were conducted in the study area. The results of which have led to a few recommendations. First, the city and community should continue exploring temporary street closures, as there appears to still be a debate among stakeholders on the idea. In these interim design solutions, project evaluation methods should be implemented to ensure that feedback about previous designs are heard and therefore addressed in subsequent proposals. Through multiple iterations, there may come a day when a permanent solution is agreed upon. Secondly, the next design should steer away from solely focusing on evening hours. It was found that stakeholders would like to see a more robust design and events that address the use of the space throughout the day. Thirdly, the designs should reflect the communities that have historically called Capitol Hill home and continue to. There has been an observed shift in demographics due to redevelopment and there are fears that this safe space for the LGBTQ community is vanishing. Finally, concerns over the built environments have been raised in recent history leading to urban design policies to preserve neighborhood character. Future design proposals should look to bolster and enhance the built character of the Pike/Pine corridor.