[SounderBruce]

Surprisingly, it seems this forum doesn't have a dedicated maps thread. I'll be posting any maps (historical, current and future) I come across.

From a few weeks ago:

I went down to the Seattle Central Library and requested high-resolution scans of the first four Bogue Plan maps. Such a beautiful vision:


Bogue Plan Map No. 1: Municipal Plans Commission by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bogue Plan Map No. 2: Arterial Highways and Park Boulevards by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bogue Plan Map No. 3: Rapid Transit and Park Boulevards by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bogue Plan Map No. 4: Street and Steam Railroads by SounderBruce, on Flickr

 

[LCIII]

Cool idea. Thanks

 

[Seattlelife]

Agreed, I love maps. This is a cool idea!

 

[SounderBruce]

The Seattle Times has put out an excellent interactive map of Seattle's new city council districts, with statistics comparing demographics and commuting (among others) between the new districts and the city on average.

http://projects.seattletimes.com/2015/city-council-districts/

 

[SounderBruce]

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, there were ambitious proposals to expand many arterial streets into full-fledged freeways and expressways. Thankfully, they were rejected by the people and almost entirely scrapped, saving us from a web of freeways cutting off many neighborhoods.


Planned expressway system, 1950 by Seattle Municipal Archives, on Flickr


1956 Comprehensive Plan map by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Arterial thoroughfare plan, 1957 by Seattle Municipal Archives, on Flickr

 

[mike0898]

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, there were ambitious proposals to expand many arterial streets into full-fledged freeways and expressways. Thankfully, they were rejected by the people and almost entirely scrapped, saving us from a web of freeways cutting off many neighborhoods.

GREAT post, thanks! I had no idea that 520 had been proposed for Sand Point, rather than Montlake.

Unbelievable that so many other freeways were proposed. We got very lucky.

 

[Capitol Hill]

Was there ever a proposal for a cross sound bridge/highway?

 

[Matt the Engineer]

Wrong thread.

 

[SounderBruce]

Forward Thrust maps

Some more scans, this time from the Forward Thrust rapid transit initiatives of 1968 and 1970.


Figure 12: Metro Area Perspective by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Figure 1: Recommended 1985 System by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Figure 2: Recommended Initial System by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Figure 9: Long Range Development by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Figure 7-2: Average Travel Times and Assumed Headways by SounderBruce, on Flickr

 

[Mpatte]

What is this Model Neighborhood that the maps keep referencing in the Central District?

 

[Matt the Engineer]

Interesting. Description about the Model Neighborhood is here. Congress was trying to improve inner city life, and it sounds like this model neighborhood is the area they're optimizing for.

The committee defined the Model Neighborhood as the Central Area, Pioneer Square, and the International District. The population of this geographical area comprised about 10 percent of the city's population and about 61% of the city's non-white population. The initial application stated "Seattle is a city which is still short of the crisis situation of the older urban centers…The Model neighborhood is in the initial stages of decay, not the final stages….It is because we do still have time that we have developed the sense of urgency to attack our problems now."

 

[alexjonlin]

Maybe it would've passed if they had spelled Wedgwood correctly in their promotional materials.

 

[SounderBruce]

Maybe it would've passed if they had spelled Wedgwood correctly in their promotional materials.

Considering that the City Clerk of Seattle also misspells it, I can't really blame them.

 

[art5617]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?vpsrc=0&t=m&ie=UTF8&msa=0&z=13&mid=zerfVINevYEY.kKhdHGC7bNH8

I really like this map. I can't believe I live down the street from I605. It's imposable to imagine a freeway there.

 

[SounderBruce]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?vpsrc=0&t=m&ie=UTF8&msa=0&z=13&mid=zerfVINevYEY.kKhdHGC7bNH8

I really like this map. I can't believe I live down the street from I605. It's imposable to imagine a freeway there.

Here's the original map from the PSCOG report:

The full study is here.

 

[Capitol Hill]

Interesting that the rail system wasn't going to serve Northgate at all, but Lake City would be well served. Northgate needs some major overhauls, not just the mall, but the neighborhood as well. The neighborhood can either embrace change at Northgate, or they'll end up with, well, I don't know. I hope that Simon has a great plan they're working on for Northgate. Being sandwiched between Alderwood and downtown/UVillage, it's a precarious position to be in. One of their anchor tenants (JCP) isn't in the best condition, and another tenant (Nordstrom) doesn't seem too excited to expand/renovate their store.

The Seattle Metro market has one more store in it than most metros of our size (two if you want to count downtown- but it's headquarters, and we have a thriving downtown most American cities don't) so I won't be surprised if in the next 5 years they announce a Northgate closure. Just a hunch on my end, but it might spur some creative work at Simon Properties to take advantage of Link at their doorstep.

 

[SounderBruce]

Interesting that the rail system wasn't going to serve Northgate at all, but Lake City would be well served. Northgate needs some major overhauls, not just the mall, but the neighborhood as well. The neighborhood can either embrace change at Northgate, or they'll end up with, well, I don't know. I hope that Simon has a great plan they're working on for Northgate. Being sandwiched between Alderwood and downtown/UVillage, it's a precarious position to be in. One of their anchor tenants (JCP) isn't in the best condition, and another tenant (Nordstrom) doesn't seem too excited to expand/renovate their store.

The Seattle Metro market has one more store in it than most metros of our size (two if you want to count downtown- but it's headquarters, and we have a thriving downtown most American cities don't) so I won't be surprised if in the next 5 years they announce a Northgate closure. Just a hunch on my end, but it might spur some creative work at Simon Properties to take advantage of Link at their doorstep.

Hopefully the Northgate Urban Design Framework gets implemented and implemented well. I'd love to see a small cluster of midrise and highrise buildings when transferring from ST Express to Link there in 2021.

 

[cadre]

Looks like the 1985 rapid transit system was planned for Boeing. It skips all of South Seattle, but hits the white bedroom communities and two of the Boeing plants.

If I'm not mistaken, the Central Link Light Rail to the airport was also planned to pass through the vast plain of Sodo, Georgetown, Duwamish, South Park and Tukwila, skipping all of Beacon Hill and South Seattle (not to mention stopping short of the airport.) Fortunately, the people rose up and said "That's Stupid."

Great effort on the maps. Thanks.

 

[araman0]

Hopefully the Northgate Urban Design Framework gets implemented and implemented well. I'd love to see a small cluster of midrise and highrise buildings when transferring from ST Express to Link there in 2021.

Highrises at Northgate? Now that would be amazing!

According to this map the highest buildings allowed there are currently 85', but it sounds like Seattle is trying to permit highrises there according to your link.

 

[mhays]

That would be awesome at Northgate. It deserves to be a pretty large cluster, like a Bellevue. Put a second surface street over I-5 (a couple blocks from the skybridge planned from the Link station) and the other side of the freeway could be part of that.

I'm mystified why Seattle residents are so often against highrises. It's a visceral thing, very different from how people think in Vancouver for example.