July 25, 2019

Activating Alleys for a Lively City

Seattle’s alleys are underused and considered to be the ‘backside’ of the city. There are 456,390 SF of existing public squares, parks and pedestrian streets in downtown Seattle. However by reevaluating and reformulating our alleys we can integrate exciting, green, and healthy public spaces into our existing urban environment.

This Seattle Integrated Alley Handbook was produced by our Fall 2010 interns Mary Falko and Jennifer Hampton who collected data for 300 alleys in Seattle. Supported by the ScanDesign Foundation, they worked in partnership with the UW Green Futures Lab, Director Rottle, City of Seattle, and Gehl Architects. This guidebook provides inspiration and tools for reclaiming this extensive network for the public realm.