ActivatingAlleyways

ACloserLookattheCleanliness
andSafetyofAlleywaysintheUniversityDistrict

KurtBlomdahl
Community,Environment,andPlanning
SeniorProjectFinalWriteUp
UniversityofWashingtonClassof2016

ProjectAbstract
In preparation for the 2021 opening of a new Light Rail station, the University
District community in Seattle has begunto address safetyand cleanlinessconcerns in
the alleyways around the station and in the neighborhood as a whole. My project
contributes to that effort by identifying areas of particular concern and recommending
steps that the communityand the CityofSeattlecantaketoaddressthem.Specifically,
working with the U District Partnership, a local neighborhood nonprofitorganization, I
focusedoncleanlinessandsafetyinthealleyways.Icompletedamorespecificanalysis
of two alleyways in Seattle identified as being particularly clean and safe. I combined
the findings from my analysis with best practices derived from literature on
neighborhoodsafety, andused this plantodevelop several designandpolicysolutions
for the neighborhood alleys. Finally, I applied these solutions to a single alleyway
closestto thefutureLightRailstation,providingbothaguideforthedevelopmentofthis
spaceaswellasacasestudyforotheralleyimprovementsintheUniversityDistrict.

TableofContents

ProjectAbstract
TableofContents
Background&Importance
Context
LiteratureReview
Lighting
Cleanliness
Methods
Results
IncreaseLighting
DecreaseTrashReceptacles
HoldAlleyEvents
Reflections&Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography

Background&Importance
Many partsof the University District (U District), inSeattle,Washington,arevery
dirty. Alleyways are some of the worst offenders, since they usually house trash
receptacles and commonly become toilets for the homeless population. People stay
away from places that are unpleasant, stinky, and smelly. In the U District, trash,
recycling,and compostis leftin the alleywaysfor up to aweek,lettingthesmellslinger
and grow. Many people that I have talked to, friends, locals, and employees totheU
District, do not like towalkthrough areas thataredark, especiallyatnight.Theydo not
feelsafe, as theydo notknow wheretheyaregoing,orwhoorwhatisinthedarkarea.
This being said, these alleys lack proper lighting, thus many people try and avoid the
th
dark corridors atallcosts. The alleyway behind theNeptune Theatre on NE 45
Street

and Brooklyn Ave NE is no exception to the issues of cleanliness and safety. I am

asking,howcanthisalleywaybeimprovedsothatitiscleanerandsafer?
In the Winter Quarter of 2015, Ifirstwas exposedto the idea ofEnvironmental
Psychology by Dr. Lynne Manzo in herclass titled, The HumanExperienceofPlace.
Here, Ifirst became interestedin the effects that built environments have on humans.I
am intriguedby howpeoplereacttodifferentsituationsintheireverydaylives.Thiswas
stimulatedbyWilliam Whytes seven pointsthat he found tobemostimportanttoacity
and its life. Some of these factors are seating, food, sun and shade. As these points
becamemore important inourclassdiscussions,andtheyalsobecamemoreandmore
presentinmyeverydaythinking.

I noticed the lackof thrivingpublicspaceintheUniversityDistrict,especiallyinthearea

around University Way NE, commonly called The Ave. Nestled right next to the
University of Washington, the U District receives a high amount of traffic every day,
ranging from bike to bus, to light rail to foot. While the campus provides many public
places for people to sit and gather, the greater U District does not. I began torealize
thatalleyways in theU District havethe potentialto becomeuseablepublicspace,and
theideaforthisprojectbegantotakeshape.
Afterthe class on environmentalpsychology, Iwas putincontactwithKarenKo,
the Seattle Departmentof Neighborhoods NorthRegion DistrictCoordinator.Wemetin
Spring Quarter of2015 ataparkletintheUDistrict,andtheideaofactivatingalleyways
cameup.
I believe thatalleyways as publicspaceareextremelyunderutilized.Placessuch
as Pike Place Market andGasworksParkareconsidered destinations inSeattle. They
feature a variety of different options for activities, views, facilities, and history. For
alleyways,the goal inactivating themistoprovideaspacethathasaccessto adiverse
set ofactivities,seating,foodanddrink,andbusinesses.Iwantmorepeoplewhospend
time in the U District tohave moredestinationplaces thatthey cango, andI want to
make sure that these places are safe. This project will benefit thosewho commute to
workorschool,andworkinorlivenearthealley.
My vision forthe future isto haveanalleyway,ornetwork ofalleys,thataresafe
at allhoursoftheday.Iwanttohaveanalleywaythatanyonecanuse,foranyperiodof
time, at any time of the day, and feel safe doing it. However, an extensive alley

activation was not feasible for the time frame of this project, so I focused on the first
step ofmanyinactivatingtheNeptuneAlleyway.Activatingalleywaysisanewtermthat
focuses on the often neglected realm of public spaces that we call alleyways. The
activationhappens when a dirty,dark,uneven,wetorunpleasantalleywaybeginstobe
improved. I have researched and compiled the best practices for addressing the
cleanlinessandsafetyissuesinalleyways.

Context
Urbanareasaregrowingat anextremely fast rate.StatisticsshowthatfromJuly
1, 2012 to July 1, 2013, Seattle grew by 2.8 percent, or about18,000people(Balk).
This was the highest rate among the 50 most populated cities in the United States
(Balk). Buildings are growing taller to accommodatemorepeopleandjobs.Issuessuch
as homelessness, lack of education, hunger and economic problems cover our
computer screens, radio channels and newspaper pages. From day to day, I have
realized these issues, but often ignored them while at my computerorwalking on the
streets. Manypeoplewalkon thestreetwith their eyes downtotheground,notmaking
eyecontact withothers.They trytoavoidtheseissues,thinkingthattheyarenotpartof
the problems, orthattheycannothelpsolvetheproblems.However,thisisnottrue.We
can make a difference. We can and must attempt to stop homelessness, hunger and
other social problems.As Istated earlier, Whytes pointsoncitylife jumpedoutat me.
This ledmeto the topic ofalleywayactivation,specificallytheissuesofcleanlinessand
safety.
Activating alleyways is not a new idea in the United States, nor is it in the
University District. The idea of activating alleyways comes from the principleof public
space. Alleyways and public spaces have been studied by William Whyte and Jane
Jacobs, but alsoresearchedona more locallevelhereinSeattlebytheGreenFutures
Lab at the University of Washington. In the U District, examplesof alleyway activation
are present inplacessuchasthealleywaybyCafAllegro.Sincetherearedestinations
in this alleyway, people utilize the alleys.In the Caf AllegrobetweenNE42ndandNE
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43rd Streets, there are amenities such as a coffee shop, bookstore, pizza restaurant,
youngadult shelter,andachurch.Thisalleywayalsoholdsbicycleparking,bothprivate
and public outdoor seating, as well as green spaces. This variety of businesses,
facilities and amenities cater to a wide range of people, attracting and providing fora
th
diversegroup ofindividuals. Similarly,in theNeptune Alley, justsouthofNE45
Street

between University Way NE and Brooklyn Ave NE, there is a great probability for an
increased amount of foot traffic with the opening with the Light Rail station in 2021
(SoundTransit).By2030,SoundTransitprojectsthatnearly30,000riderswillboard the
LightRailattheUniversityDistrictstationeachday(SoundTransit).
Currently in the Neptune Alley, there is only one public entrance to a building
from the alleyway. The Neptune Alley contains many trash receptacles and large
chunks of uneven ground, creating an unpleasant area to travel through by vehicle,
bicycle or on foot (Fig 1 & 2). On the other hand, the Allegro alleyway has multiple
public entrances to buildings and businesses such as Caf Allegro, Mod Pizza and
Roots Young Adult Shelter. In the future, the Neptune Alley might even contain as
many, or more, public entrances than the Allegro alley. Just as the trash receptacles
were able to be moved in the Allegro alleyway, I seek to help find a solution for the
cleanlinessprobleminotheralleysintheUDistrict.
The Green Futures Lab is a part of the LandscapeArchitecture programat the
University of Washington. The International Sustainability Institute (ISI) is an
organizationthathasbeenworkinginthePioneerSquareneighborhood,withtheCityof
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, to
boost healthy activity on its streets, feed its

vibrant arts culture, and draw people to local businesses (ISI). I used the Lab as a
resource to gain more of a designthinkingperspective. Theywere ableto help me by
providing me with examples of other alley activation projects to get ideas for the U
District.
This research shaped my project as Ilookedattheirpriorprojects,anddesigned
this alley activation to reflect some of their ideas, but also sought to create elements
thatwouldbestfitthisparticularalleyway.

th
NeptuneAlley,NE45
StreetandUniversityWayNE(Fig.1&2)

LiteratureReview
TheSeattleIntegratedAlleyHandbookhasthreeexamplesofactivated
alleyways that are based ona tiered system.These levels of renovation are simple,
moderate and substantial. A simple alley renovation focuses on three things: the
quality ofthepublicspace,healthofthecityandmakingasaferenvironmentforpeople.
While not quite as complex as the others, this level of activation can be achieved
without much professional assistance, which is why I am focusing on the simple
renovationtier. Steps such as naming an alley andaddingin plants arethingsthatcan
make a big difference. In the Neptune Alleyway, my project also incorporates the
targeting the safetyofthealleyinmakingsurethatthealleyiscleanand welllit(Fialko
&Hampton36).

Lighting
One waythat areas,suchasalleyways,canbemadesaferiswiththeadditionof
lighting. In a study by the National Recreation and Park Association, it was
recommended toadd lighting to these areas(NRPA,2).Thereasoningbehindthiswas
for the lighting to enhance perceptions of safety. However, just the addition oflighting
simply doesn't make an area safer or reduce crime rates. Improved lighting leads to
increased activity, which allows for more alley surveillance (NRPA, 2). I believe that
surveillance in thissenseisusedtoshowthatthemorepeoplethereare inanarea,the
safer the people feel. This is the concept of strength in numbers. The key finding in
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park safetyresearch shows that thereis a connectionbetweenparkandrecreationuse

and safety: where people use parks in a positive way and in substantial numbers, all
people feel more secure (NRPA 1). The City of Brooklyn Park, in their 2030
Comprehensive Plan, expressed some of the same views on surveillance. These
pertain to Jane Jacobs idea of eyeson thestreet. Brooklyn Park believes thatpeople
being able to see their surroundings will prevent other people from sneaking up on
them (Brooklyn 91). So, when lighting is added to public spaces, people feel more
comfortable traveling through and around these spaces. Then, when morepeopleare
traveling through an area, more and more people are likely to feel comfortable there,
andthenbuilduponitwithevenmorepeople.
From November to February, many Seattleitesarecommuting to and from work
in lowlight conditions. This makes commuters a little less likely to walk or ride their
bikes, especially with the rain, as conditions are not ideal. In addition, the Seattle
campus of the University of Washington had almost 45,000 students enrolled in the
Autumn of 2014.UW alsohas about 4,300facultymembers(UW).Ifthelocalresidents
andworkersareaddedin,thisnumbercouldreachabout50,000peopleintheUDistrict.
This means that alarge numberofpeoplearecommutingforatleastfourmonthsoutof
theyearinlessthanidealconditions.
Sound Transit is building a new LightRail stationatthe corner ofBrooklyn Ave
NE andNE 43rd St,. This U Districtstation will connect totheRoosevelt Stationto the
north,andtotheUniversityofWashingtonstationatHuskyStadiumtothesouth(Sound
Transit). Sound Transit projects that by 2030, nearly 30,000 riders will board the Light

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Rail at the University District station each day(Sound Transit). Many folks will catcha
bus downtown to go to work, or grab a bite to eat on University Way NE, also called
TheAve. Others will be hopping off the bus as they near the end of theircommuteto
class from thegreaterSeattlearea.Thisisimportanttomyprojectbecauseastherewill
be a higher number of people in this area, the lighting will need to be better so that
peoplewillfeelcomfortablemakinguseoftheactivatedalley.
Currently, options for transportation are limitedin the U District. However, other
areas of Seattle have other methods of transportation beside buses and the light rail.
On January 25th,2016,the First Hill Streetcar openeditsdoorsfor thefirstriders.This
streetcar travels through the Capitol Hill neighborhood, down themiddleof Broadway,
makingstopsevery fewblocks.Conversely, intheU District,the new Light Railstation
is being constructed in a more secluded location. The station will besurroundedby a
large, dark brick building on the north side, an alleyway on the east side, and then
streetsonthesouthandwestsides.Thischangeinsurroundingsshowthattherewillbe
a difference in both natural and manmade light availability, as compared tothe more
well lit corridor of Broadway. It is extremely important to have good quality lighting in
such a highly traveled area, especially when the stationwill betucked in nextto taller
buildings.Withtheprojectedcompletion of theLight Railin 2021,many moreresidents
willbeutilizingthismodeoftransportationeachday.
Another larger issue that relates to thelightinginpublicareasisregardingsafety
at night, where anxiety for ones personal safetyis disproportionatelyexperiencedby
women(Maloney 28). AudreyMaloney,aMastersofLandscapeArchitecturestudentat

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UWin2014,focusedonhowforthemajorityofthetime, femalesaremorecautiousand
selfaware than males, when deciding on a route to take across an urban landscape
(Maloney28). Since theAveandsurroundingareafeatureavibrantnightlife,lightingon
the streets, sidewalks and alleyways is important for the safety of all whoarepassing
through. By having a better lighting system in these public areas, both females and
maleswillhaveanincreasedsenseofsafetyinthesepublicareas.
A research papertitled, Simple Indicatorsof CrimeBy Timeof Day, by Felson
and Poulsen, talks about the times of the day in which crime occurs. They say that
entertainment districts ofcities will tendtohavebothlatermedianminutesandawider
timespan of crime on weekends, but a narrower timespan Monday through Thursday
(Felson 599).The UniversityDistrict is a livelyneighborhood atmanyhoursof theday.
Residents andstudents are up and movingabouttheU District earlyin themorning to
get to work and classes. Othersare uplateat night, visiting restaurants andbarsuntil
the wee hours of the morning. This matters because the routes that residents and
students takeshouldbewell lit, not dark. Thereis notcurrently sufficient lightinginthe
NeptuneAlley,wherethenewLightRailstationwillbelocated.
One way that alleys and other public spaces can be utilized and promoted is
through holding special events in these alleyways. To capitalize on the specialized
lighting, these events can be held inthe evening or atnighttime. Herein the UDistrict,
there have beentwoalleyevents,dubbedAlleyLights.AthirdAlleyLightscelebration,
in the Cafe Allegro alley between NE 43rd St and NE 42nd St, was held at the
beginning of December 2015. Long strings of lights were hung on the sides of the

12

buildings in the alley and through tents. Under the tents there were activities suchas
gingerbread cookiedecorating and athemedphotobooth.Therewerealsocookies,hot
beveragesand othersweets. With available activitiesand a bite to eatanddrink,these
light festivals fully engage the neighborhood in a highly social and celebratory event
(Maloney57).

AlleyLightsDecember15th,2015(Fig.3)

Sadly,inJune2012,theCityofSeattleDepartmentofTransportationpublisheda
few documents that did not speak to increased lighting in alleyways. These were the
Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan, and then the Pedestrian Lighting Citywide Plan. The
lightingplan speaksmainlyto the lightingof publicpathwaysthatline roadways.Infact,

13

the words alley or alleyway are not even mentioned in either document (SCL and
SDOT).

Cleanliness
Currently, there are some plans inplace foraddressing the issueofcleanliness
in theU District.The University District Alley Activation Plan states thattheobjectiveof
waste management is to maintain a clean, tidy, and welcoming alley and encourage
civil behavior (SvR, 68). Historically, alleyways have not beenthecleanest ofplaces.
Theywere oftenplaces wherethepoor hadaccess totheirhomes.Also,theywerenot
as well kept as the main streets so mud and debris collected much faster here. The
University District Alley Activation Plan goes on to say that one of the firststepsis to
discuss the needs of alley waste management with the U District Partnership (UDP)
Cleanand Safe Committee, the Alley TaskForceandSeattlePublicUtilities(SvR68).I
contacted Elizabeth McCoury attheU District Partnership, askingherwhere theywere
in this process now. Ialso askedherwhichorganizationwas thefirst toinitiatecontact
between the groups, and what the next step will be for discussing the needs of alley
wastemanagement.Due to herverybusyscheduleandinvolvementinmanyprojects,I
havenot received a reply yet.This information will be helpful tomeasitwillgivesome
insight on how theseorganizationsareworking to address the cleanlinessissue in the
alleywaysintheUDistrict,andpossiblyotherareasofSeattleaswell.

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One of the goals that boththe UDistrictPartnership and SeattleDepartment of

Neighborhoodsrepresentativeshavetalked about is, getting rid of, or consolidatingthe
dumpsters in the U District. The International District and Pioneer Square
neighborhoods are participating in the Seattle Clear Alleys Program, which seeks to
provide dumpster free services by providing prepaid bag pickup, 24/7 (Waste
Management). This gets rid ofmanydumpstersthat surround local businesses.These
are some of the topics that the UDP, the Alley Task Force and SeattlePublic Utilities
aretalkingabout.
A few other cities around the world are trying Seattles novel approach to
garbage. In an article in the
EdmontonJournal
,theauthor statesthatothercitiessuch
as Seattle, Vancouver or Kelowna have recently taken steps to rid their downtown
alleys of unsightly dumpsters, and reclaim these public spaces as part of the urban
landscape (Lamphier). The article focuses on SeattlesCleanScapescompany, which
was a startupthat wasbornin 1997byChris Martin, alocalentrepreneur (Lamphier).
CleanScapes signed a $32 million annual contract with the city of Seattle, starting in
2009. Under termsof the deal,CleanScapes will be responsibleforallgarbage pickup
inanareathatcovershalfthecity(Lamphier).Inprocuringthisdeal,CleanScapesbeat
out competitors Waste ManagementInc. and Allied WasteIndustries, outofTexasand
Arizona (Lamphier). Originally, CleanScapes started out in the Pioneer Square
neighborhood in Seattle. But now, competitor Waste Management is in charge of the
Seattle Clear Alleys Program in the Pioneer Square neighborhood (Waste
Management).

15

The uses and activities of alleyways have changed over theyears. Inthe 19th
century,American cities usedalleystohidethemoreutilitarian,lessattractivefunctions
of urban lifeincludingserviceand servantaccess, barns forhorsesand carriages,and
evensmall shopsand areas for children to play (Canin). ThiswasthecaseinEngland
aswell,with their mewsalleyways.Thesealleywayswereoriginallymeantforaccessto
horse stables, but now they have become a hot commodity as fashionable living
quarters (Linden). The
Linden Living Alley article goes on to talk about howAmerican
alleyways in the late nineteenth century were setback from society, both in terms of
refuse storage, but also in housing the poor. Here, Linden presentsthesame idea as
Canin in which they agree alleyways were dirty and unattractive places, or places
where the impolite realities of the industrial era were hidden from polite Victorian
society, as the Linden article putsit(Linden).This isimportant tomy project because
the uses of trash receptaclestorage thatalleyways had150yearsagoarestillfoundin
alleywaystoday.
Still today, the uses of many alleyways in the United States have not changed
that much. There are dumpsters, garbage cansandnowcompost binslining the sides
of the alleys. This has created more crowded alleys incertainareas, suchasSeattle.
OnSeptember 22, 2014, the SeattleCityCouncilpassedanordinanceprohibitingfood
from Seattles residential and commercial garbage (Seattle Public Utilities). Now in
Seattle, residents and commercial buildings are required to have the capabilities for
garbage, recycling and composting bins. Thus, in most cases, business andbuildings
went from two different bins to threebins, creating moreclutter inalleyways.Alleyway

16

research by the Seattle Integrated Alley Handbooksaysthat removingtrash cans and

dumpstershelps the alley feelmoreopenandinviting(Fialko&Hampton30).Although
the ordinance does help address the estimated 38,000 tons of food waste that was
going to the landfill, the ordinance did not help clean alleyways up by decreasing the
amountofbins.
AstheSeattleClearAlleysProgramwasmentionedearlier,WasteManagement
offers prepaid bag service to residents and businessesasan alternative tocontainers
and carts stored in public alleys (Waste Management). This bag service allows
residents and businesses to set bags out three hours prior to the scheduled pickup,
and bags are collected at least twice a day in the Pioneer Squareneighborhoodand
the International District (Waste Management). This high number of pickups means
thatcollection vehicles are going throughalleysatleastfourteentimesperweekversus
the usual one time per week fortraditional garbagecollection.This hasboth pros and
cons. One positivecould bethatsincetheWasteManagementvehiclesandemployees
are visiting the area more often, there will be more eyes on the street and in the
neighborhood as a whole. In turn, this might reduce crime, and increase the overall
safety. Also, having more constant pickups will also reduce the smell in the
neighborhood as bags are left in the alleyways less than three hours, versus up to a
week withtraditional garbagecollectionmethods. Some might argue that onenegative
effectfrommoreconstantpickupmightbeanincreaseinnoiseinthealleys.Althoughit
might bequicker for garbagecollectionemployees to drive through alleys andjustpick
up a few bags, the employees would still be going through the alleyways at least

17

fourteentimes aweek.Most ofthealleywaysintheUniversityDistrictarecurrentlyvery

dirtyandlinedwithgarbagebins.
The Alleyway Handbook also talks about various pavement options for
alleyways. New paving makes some of the highest impacts in alley improvement
(Fialko &Hampton20).Newpavinginanalleycancomeinmanydifferentforms.There
is the classic concrete or asphalt, permeable concrete, pavers, or a mixture of
pavement choices. It isimportant tochoosenewpaversfortheirenvironmentalimpact,
material, and strength, as wellascolor and style (Fialko & Hampton20). A mixtureof
pavers, such as concrete and pavers, allows a solid concrete foundation for delivery
and pickup trucks, whilestillallowing waterto drainintothegroundto filter and retain
runoffinstead ofconveyingpolluted waterintothestreetdrains(Fialko&Hampton20).
This isimportant in the University District as wedohavealotofalleytraffic.Trucksare
returning and loading books at theUBookstore, andthe variousrestaurantsand large
houses in are receiving orders of produce, meat, and dairy products. The Activated
Alley, the plan for improving the University Districts alleyways suggests that three
differentpavement types be usedto givethe alley the feelofaplace thathasevolved,
ratherthan aspacethat has beendeveloped atasingle point intime(SvR52).These
types of pavements are standard concrete, specialty concrete, and accent pavers.
Standard concrete would be the primary pavementoption,providing a robust,reliable
surface for service trucks and other heavy use vehicles (SvR 52). Next comes the
specialty concrete which would be located at the edges of the alleyway and in alittle
darker color. Finally, the accent pavers would help break up and modulate the

18

horizontal surface, giving the alley more of a pedestrianscaled rhythm and texture
(SvR 52). Both the Seattle Integrated Alley Handbook and the U District Activated
Alley plan recommendhavingmultiple types ofpavement.Thisreinforcestheideathat
of how alleyways can have multiple uses, and still be aesthetically pleasing. This is
important to my research because alleyways are still most widely used for garbage
collection, so finding ways to incorporate successful and clean garbage collection is
key. Then, these alleyways would be ableto beused for multiple uses, such as travel
corridorsforpedestriansandbikes,deliveryroutes,andwastecollection.

19

Methods
Following a review of current literature on alley activation, I wanted to find out
how Seattle is currently responding to alleyways. My first step was researching Nord
Alley, inthePioneer Squareneighborhood inSeattle. My secondstepwasinterviewing
localmembersofthecommunityregardingalleywaystigmaandsuccess.
Interestingly, as I continued to search for alleyways across the country that
satisfied the need for a safe and clean environment, I kept findingreferences toNord
Alley in Seattle. Pioneer Square was once a neighborhood where there was lots of
crime,illegal activitiesand garbage,especiallyinthealleys.Thehighincidenceofcrime
was even noted intheliterature.Residents evenkept alog ofpolicecallsaboutillegal
activityin their alley(Alliance forPioneerSquare). However,Copenhagenbased Gehl
Architects was working on a collaborative study with the International Sustainability
Institute on some of downtown Seattle's public spaces. The study, surprisingly,
identified Pioneer Square alleys lined with nineteenthcentury brick buildings as
potentially some of the citys great pedestrian spaces (Alliance for Pioneer Square).
These alleys were once dirty and unpleasant places. I researched the transformation
thatoccurredintheneighborhood.
My research into Nord Alley promtped me to interview people who lived or
worked in the U Disitrict.One topic that I focused on when talking to local community
members was alley events. I asked questions on what they thought ofalleyevents, if
they knew of anyherein the U DIstrict, andhow successful they thoughttheseevents
were. I purposefullymadethese interviews rather informal, as totry and get the actual
20

opinion of the members. I wanted to find out exactly what people think of alleyways,
alleyactivationandNeptuneAlley.

21

Results
When I first started my project, I spent a lot of time in and near the alleyway
between NE41st andNE42nd Street,UniversityWayNE, nearShultzysBarandGrill
and Cafe Solstice. While the main entrances are on the Ave, there is also covered,
outdoor seatingin thebackoftherestaurant.Thisareaisactuallyquitepopular,despite
being right next tolarge trash receptacles. Theseatingareahastables,chairs,lighting,
greenery, and a small water fountain These features, plus food and drink, draw
customersin from thesurroundingarea,andprovidethemwithacomfortable,safe,and
cleanplacetositandeat.

ShultzysBar&GrillAlleywayandOutdoorSeatingArea(Fig.4&5)

At the beginningof myproject,Iwantedtoactuallyimplementmyresearchinthe

Neptune Alleyway. I wanted to make a difference, a physical change.My idea wasto
research and plan an alleyway activation formy CEPSenior Project,andactuallycarry

22

it out through myEllisFellowshipCapstone.Ifiguredoutratherquicklythatthisprocess

of researching and implementing could not be doneat the same time. So, Icontinued
researching the best practices for an alleyway activation for my CEP project, and
transitioned the other capstone into working with local businesses on community
involvement and decisionmaking,specifically those that donot speakEnglishasafirst
language.
Based on my research and findings, I believe that there are three things that
should be donetotransformthisalleyway.Theseareincreasingthelightinginthealley,
getting rid of the trash receptacles, and holding alley events in the alleyways. These
three changes are easyto implement,economicallyfeasible,andwillhavegreatimpact
in thefuture. TheNeptune Alleyis a prime candidatefor an alley activationbecauseof
the location. 30,000 riders will board the nearby Light Rail at the University District
station each day, meaning that this station and its surroundings will become more
popular (Sound Transit).Here inthe UDistrict,onlyoneandahalfmilesaway,thenew
University ofWashington station already carries 30,000passengersaday(Lindblom).
This proves that there is both a demandfor transportation,and asupplyofridersinthe
area.

IncreaseLighting
One ofthemain waystohelpmakeanarea saferistomakesurethatitiswelllit.
Darkalleys, sidewalks, androadways are not inviting places. Byincreasingtheamount

23

of lighting in these areas, people are able to better see their path and surroundings.
This positive change of adding lighting canbeachievedinmanyways,fromLEDlamps
fixed to the walls, to rope lights strung across the alley, to spotlights shining up the
walls.
The U District Strategic Plan, a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood,
identifies five projects that will transform the district (U District Livability Partnership
39). One of these projects is A Europeanstyle network of pleasant and bustling
alleyways(UDistrict LivabilityPartnership40). One aspectof the Europeanstylealley
is the lighting. Figures 6 and 7 show two examples of alleyways that are well lit and
clean. One features a ropestyle lighting system,where thelightsare hungacrossthe
alleyway.The otherfeatureslightsofdifferentheightsandsizesthataremountedtothe
wall. In the U District, the type of lighting might vary from alley to alley because of
factors such as the utilization of the alley,businesspreferences,size of thealley, and
location.Forexample, an alley withoutdoor activities,suchasarestaurant,mightwant
to have lower hung and softer lights. On the other hand, an alleywaythat isrelatively
clearmightwantto haveafloodlightsystem.Thiswouldallowthosetravelinginornear
theareatobeabletoidentifywhatisorisnotinthealleyway.

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LightingStylesinChina&Croatia(Fig.6&7)

DecreaseTrashReceptacles
Another way to activate an alleyway is to decrease the amount of trash
receptaclesin alleyways. Now,this mightsound a little counterintuitive,butitcanhave
alarge impacton cleaning the alley up.Theplanhereistotakeoutthelargetrashbins
that only get picked up once or twice a week. This will clear the sides of the alley,
providing the area withclear lines ofsight.The ClearAlley Program(CAP) iscurrently
in use in both the Pioneer Square and Downtown neighborhoods.Thisprogram takes
away the bins and dumpsters, and replaces them with a systemofbags. These bags
are prepaid, and the program features a much morefrequent pickup. However, there
havebeen some problems,suchasratsandothersmallrodentsgettingintothebagsin
Pioneer Square. Toremedy the problem,pegs were mounted on some ofthewalls for

25

garbage bags to hang on, out of reach of the critters. This easy solution solved the
problem.
TheCAP program was actuallyput tousehereintheUDistrictforonealleyway,
per the recommendationofthe UDistrictStrategicPlan(UDistrictLivabilityPartnership
40). The program did not succeed as much as it had in the Pioneer Square
neighborhood, and dissolved. However,I believethattheprogramshouldbeputtouse
in otheralleysin thearea. This isbecause for eachalleyand on eachblock,there are
different businesses, owners, and building managers. So, while some might not
participatevery easily from the beginning, others mightcatchontothebenefitsquickly,
hopefullypromptingotherstoengageintheCAPprogramaswell.

TheDowntownNeighborhoodCAPProgram(Fig.8&9)

26

HoldAlleyEvents
ThethirdandfinalrecommendationthatIhaveforimprovingtheNeptune Alleyis
to holdmore alley events.Inthepastfewyears,theUDistrict Partnershiphasheldfour
Alley Lights celebrations. Usually these events are held in early December, when
people come and gather under a cover, out of the rain. These events feature a few
covered tents, sparkling lights, and usually some hot foodanddrink providedbyCafe
Solstice. There are also a few activities such as live music and an art display. More
recently, over UWs Parents Weekend in April, another Alley Lights event was held.
The weather was much nicerfor this event,andpeoplewere encouragedto drawwith
chalkinthealleywayorplaycornhole.

AlleyLightsCelebration,April2016(Fig.10)

27

Reflections&Conclusion
My project identified what I believe to be the top three priorities that shouldbe
addressed in alleyways around the U District, butespecially the NeptuneAlley.These
points are increasinglighting,decreasing the amountof trashreceptacles, andholding
more alley events in the alleyways. I chose these based on both the feasibility of the
activationmethodsandtheimpactthatthechangeswouldhave.
One of my next steps for the project is to present my findings and
recommendations to the U District Partnership, the U District Square, and the Seattle
Department of Neighborhoods. I want to make sure that my research is conveyed
properly,andhopefullyutilizedinthefuture.
In thefuture, I hopethatmyresearchisputtousetohelptheNeptune Alley,and
alleys in general in the U District. As the NeptuneAlley is soimportantbecause of its
proximity to the new UW Light Rail station, this alleywayshouldbeatarget alley both
beforeandaftertheconstructionisfinished.

28

Appendix

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30

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31