Gardens in the City

Cities are not designed to prioritize food production. Citizens buy food in stores, leaving housing and commerce to take up the cityscape. However, there are a number of people who enjoy growing their own food, for political, social, or aesthetic reasons. They find growing room in sidewalks and vacant lots and transform those spaces into tasty gardens. This is not only appealing to people who want to grow food, but also to those wanting a little more greenery around the city.

One example is Alleycat Acres in the Central District, on the corner of East Union Street and 22nd Avenue. The photos were taken around 1:00 PM on January 17, 2013 on an overcast Seattle afternoon. Surrounding the garden are shops, restaurants, houses and other common city fixtures. To one side of the plot of land is a boxing gym and to the other is a 76 gas station. Across the street lies a fenced in vacant plot, waiting to be developed.
The U-District P-patch, on 40th and 8th, is a slightly different community garden. Squeezed in between high rises, I-5 and a Metro transit facility, the P-patch ispart of a city-wide gardening program which seeks to build community through developing unused space. It is organized into rows of individual plots, decorated with personalized signs and arches. General maintenance work is maintained by monthly work parties, which blends community and individual responsibility.  These pictures were taken at 1:00 PM on January 24, 2013.

Many Seattleites enjoy gardening, which can be seen just by walking down the street. The last photo is of a sidewalk garden. Though the garden probably has an owner, it is out in the open and its aesthetic qualities can be enjoyed by any passer-by. The street sign and utility pole also illustrate how one small space can have many functions.

Connection & Circulation

Photo Diary: shared city 
Rao Fu, Tianshi Guo

Hi, great. here is the Harbor Steps. 

Located in the central downtown Seattle, Harbor steps is the popular residential area. Many apartments and companies settle down around the area. Our group went to there at Sunday morning; it is not a typical busy time as weekdays. But we still see and feel a quiet urban “corner garden” in busy Seattle.
Boundaries and connections
There is no clear boundary to define the open space, except the steps. Besides the Seattle historical area, facing to the Pike Market Place, Harbor steps stands as a symbol of modern Seattle. We started the observation from the high points, took stairs all the way down to waterfront.
Circulation and sharing city
The steps itself is the main path networking with the other part of the city. all kinds of people walking through the steps with all the purposes.


The white collars views this steps as the relax space besides their working places.
Visitors come to the steps as a scenic point in Seattle. Residents living there view the steps as their home. Based on our observation, children like this steps because the falling water go along the steps. Mosaic material and lovely water sounds not only attract children to play within it, but also attract adults to enjoy the rhythm of the water.

According to our experience, The Harbor steps worked as an “escape-garden”. Along the change of the stairs, the view of city changes. Down to the stairs, close view of the ferry station and Waterfront Park, it seems you standing at the lower part of the downtown. However, when you climb up to the high point of the steps, it is totally different view and experience of the city.