Lots of interesting reading from Seattle

1. The Citizens for More Important Things are fighting providing tax subsidies for revamping the Key Arena for the Seattle Supersonics basketball team. See "Battling another stadium subsidy: Man who led fight against Qwest Field, Safeco aims at Sonics."

Paul Joseph Brown /Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Chris Van Dyk, leader of Citizens for More Important Things, campaigns at Pike Place Market against the Sonics' bid for a tax-subsidized KeyArena overhaul.

2. The P-I has done a story on the economic impact of getting rid of the Seattle Viaduct, "Property owners predict a profit if viaduct goes away." This project was discussed in this blog entry about the Mayor's ironic "Campaign for Big, Ugly Things." Even so today's article reminds us that these projects are most often about the exchange value of palce.

3. This P-I editorial, "Downtown Density: Using open space," brings up an issue that is relevant to DC. I had a conversation with Tony Harvey about this a few weeks ago. (He writes for the Intowner). There are a number of private spaces that have easements or covenants on them, that provide for public access. Yet these spaces are not managed, and DC's Department of Parks and Recreation does not consider it their business to be concerned about these spaces. One such space is the backyard of the Heurich Mansion on New Hampshire Avenue NW. According to the editorial, Seattle has the same problem.

Click here for Seattle City Council President Nick Licata's Urban politics e-newsletter about PROTECTING THE PUBLIC RIGHT TO USE PUBLIC OPEN SPACES.

4. Also, last week the P-I ran a story about problems with maintaining a particular trolley line, in this article "Vintage streetcar may go down in history (again)." The maintenance barn was closed in place of the Seattle Sculpture Park. Why they didn't force a relocation of this facility as part of the project is beyond me.

(I've not been to Seattle but I am likely to visit next spring to attend the National Main Street conference.)

Index Keywords: urban-revitalization