Seattle – Public Space Public Life

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the sustainable downtown

Personalized space that benefits the entire street. Lyons, France

A lush, green alley can be created with very simple construction.

Using the vertical plane is a good strategy for economizing space. Freiburg, Germany

ALLEYS AS GREEN LUNGS Alley ways are a key resource in Center City, They receive very little vehicle traffic and they are ideal places for inserting pervious pavements, rainwater catchment and filtration systems, and vegetation. These spaces can become pleasant walking routes where people can step away from traffic to talk with friends, breathe clean air, watch the seasons turn, and enjoy a bit of urban green at a comfortable scale.

GREEN ROOFS Significant advances in green roof technology are expanding possibilities for new buildings as well as for retrofitting existing buildings, for both accessible and non-accessible green roof types.

Green roofs form an important link in a green infrastructure network, just on a different level in space. Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany

Vegetation on green roofs has significant absorption and filtration capabilities.

The planting palette for green roofs is unique and is adaptable to various weather conditions. Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington

great microclimate People feel comfortable in a space, where their wellbeing is prioritized. Good microclimates are made by allowing people to enjoy pleasant aspects of weather conditions. Vegetation helps to calm air movement, provides clean air, and filters out background or traffic noise. Plantings and articulated building facades can provide structure at a human scale where people feel comfortable pausing, staying, and watching the city move around them. It is comfortable to sit in the sun on a bench with some protection in the back such as a green edge or a wall. A long bench invites many people to sit down beside each other. Union Square, New York, US

Movable chairs that allows for various uses and ways of spending time is popular. Bryant Park, New York, US

RECOMMEN DATIONS - STRATEGI ES • SEATTLE PUBLIC SPACE & PUBLIC LIFE • GEHL ARCHITECTS

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