Where the Street Ends
Award of Excellence
Communications
Seattle, WA, United States
Lily Daniels, Student ASLA;
Faculty Advisors:
Ken Yocom, ASLA;
University of Washington
An interesting topic and the information that is communicated is graphically engaging. The idea of being "born to love a place" makes this wonderfully personal! Place quality is so crucial, and this project highlights this valid mission
- 2024 Awards Jury
Project Credits
Guy Michaelsen
Supervisor, Berger Partnership
Belle Miller
Colleague, Berger Partnership
Omar Akkari
Seattle Department of Transportation
Evan Blondell
Colleague, Berger Partnership
Stephanie Smith
Colleague, Berger Partnership
Christine Gannon
Colleague, Berger Partnership
Project Statement
Seattle's abundant waterways and shorelines create unique spaces where human experience and nature thrive together. This project delves into the Seattle Street End project, highlighting its potential to enhance community access to the water. With 142 street end parks scattered around Seattle, this guide provides a tour of these waterways, encouraging residents and visitors to explore the pocket parks throughout the city. The project concludes with a kit of parts to inspire designers to envision new possibilities where streets meet the sea. It aims to encourage readers to discover social leftovers in their own city and foster a growing interest in the activation of public space.
Project Narrative
Seattle's intricate network of waterways, lakes, rivers, canals, and Puget Sound uniquely shapes our city’s landscape and soul. Overlaid with a rectilinear street grid, these natural and human-made elements create a dynamic interplay of structure and nature. Where streets meet water, unplanned spaces emerge—relics of engineering and geography—ripe for reimagining as places where human experience and ecological enhancement coexist. Growing up on Lake Washington, I spent summers exploring these waterways, feeling a profound sense of freedom and connection with nature, a sentiment shared by all creatures of the water.
Despite Seattle’s notable waterfront parks, gaps in public shoreline access persist. In response, a community-led effort in the 1990s, spearheaded by advocates like Friends of Seattle Street Ends, aimed to reclaim these spaces for public use. This resulted in the City Council’s 1996 Resolution 29370 and Ordinance 119673, designating shoreline street ends for public use and establishing permit fees to deter private encroachment and fund maintenance. These street ends, known as Seattle’s “string of pearls,” provide moments of respite from urban chaos, offering peaceful retreats along the water’s edge.
This project celebrates these hidden civic assets, advocating for their preservation and enhancement. By visiting and documenting each street end, I’ve captured their unique characteristics and the cultural geography that defines them. This effort reveals the magic and potential of these spaces, emphasizing the vital role of water in connecting and enriching our urban lives. This work not only promotes public access and appreciation of these shorelines but also fosters a deeper understanding of water as a living, dynamic element central to our existence.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has utilized this project to spread awareness about the Shoreline Street Ends program, aiming to gain funding and community interest. By showcasing the unique opportunities these street ends present, SDOT encourages public support and investment in enhancing these spaces. Friends of Seattle Street Ends, a nonprofit organization, also leverages this guide to attract volunteers and advocates dedicated to preserving and improving these public assets.
This internship, in collaboration with Berger Partnership, allowed the firm to engage with the street end project by applying speculative design strategies. These strategies aim to enhance the function and public service of the street ends, creating vibrant, accessible spaces that serve the city of Seattle. Through this partnership, the project not only fosters community involvement but also highlights the transformative potential of urban design in reconnecting people with their natural environment.