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One challenge faced by landscape
architects is how to connect green spaces within a city. This issue can be
especially difficult in dense urban areas such as city centers, or for example,
the area near the University of Washington in University District, Seattle. The
greenway that connects Green Lake Park with Ravenna Park along NE Ravenna
Boulevard is one such space that achieves this goal. Fredrick Law Olmsted
designed the greenway in 1903 as part of the grand plan of Seattle's city
parks. The thirty-plus foot green lawn that divides the roadway provides an
aesthetically appealing connection for the two parks and has evolved over time
to be an important space within the neighborhood.
Observations of the greenway on a
chilly January day reveal that this is indeed a shared space even in the middle
of winter. Drivers on the roadway, bikers, walkers, runners, area residents and
business-owners all use it for different purposes. As such, the greenway is
certainly an example of city sharing in Seattle. Business owners use the open
space to place advertisements in plain sight of passers by. Runners have worn a
path in the grass along the tree line from many years of use. The thirty-plus
feet of green lawn is wide enough to play with dogs or pass a Frisbee between friends;
and bikers, drivers and walkers all use the roadway as well. This greenway
along with other shared spaces throughout the city help to create a flow of
users from park to park; and therefore increase the functionality of the green
spaces within the city as a whole.
By: Darcy Akers and Kenna Patrick
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