transformarket

by Bethânia Boaventura and Joaquim Oliveira

In search for manifestations of City Sharing in Seattle, we ventured into the city's farmer’s markets in University District and Ballard. In essence, markets are places fueled by human activity – they thrive because of the many levels of interaction they comprise. These two Seattle’s farmer’s markets were of particular interest to us because of their spatial and temporal particularities. The way they are able to bring powerful transformations in the dynamics of human activity in urban spaces is noteworthy, and our understanding is that such power is related to their temporal constraints: they only happen once a week.

Our photos were taken over the course of a weekend: University District on a Saturday morning, and Ballard on a Sunday morning. Later on, we returned in weekdays to take a comparison shot of each space in its “regular” configuration. Despite the fact that many farmers have booths in both markets, the particular way each one transforms its urban environment gives each of them its own identity.

University District Farmer’s Market takes place in a private parking lot (photo 02), which is emptied in order for it to happen. The most powerful and interesting feature in the transformation it brings to this space is an inversion: a fenced space, usually closed to the public, becomes a lively, open public space. The fence remains, but is then repurposed, used instead as a display support element for craft objects on sale (photo 03).

Ballard Farmer’s Market, in turn, is held on a public street in Old Ballard where commercial activity is the main use of the buildings nearby. So the transformation it generates is a spatial reconfiguration instead of an inversion of activity pattern: by closing the street to car access, it allows the strolling shoppers to take over the street space. The market booths are lined up in the middle, dividing the street in two walkable, narrow corridors (photo 06). The coexistence of permanent shops and temporary market booths configures a dynamic atmosphere (photo 07) that allows for a wider range of different activities when compared to University District Market.

Flowing Cityscape

Flowing Cityscapes

Our group chose the Burke Gilman Trail to explore the idea of city sharing. On the day we walked the trail, it was overcast and bitterly cold. We started out at the corner of 15^th Ave and Pacific Street and walked to Gasworks Park. The trail offered different views, people’s activities, buildings, animals and vegetation all coalescing and intersecting along the sequence.

Generally the trail has blurry boundaries, fusing the natural environment and people, with an indistinct line between public and private land. The trail abuts apartment homes, street intersections, public art, views of the city and pocket parks. There was a portion of the trail where the boundary was not blurred, and compressed as we passed a construction site, and under a bridge next to the Wall of Death.

The trail also incorporates a multi-sensory experience. Overall the path offers beautiful views and a connection to the environment, which is both psychologically healing and visually pleasing. The site encourages people who are out exercising and experiencing the beauty that the city and the trail have to offer. The views of the city and green vegetation are relaxing. Everyone who passed the construction site shared the overwhelming acrid odor. People hear the noise of traffic passing under the bridge. The space compresses under a blanket in shadows, the art suggests a darker side to the sequence.

For us the Burke Gilman trail connects the diverse character of the city with the people in the city. At the end of our sequence, Gasworks Park stood as a landmark connecting the trail with culture, history, ecology and cityscape.

By: Gabriel Cash, Guanyi Gao, Zhehang Lin