400 occidental

Here I sit, in a coffee shop in downtown Seattle (Pioneer Square, to be more precise), typing away on an internet-less computer. Firstly, I'll apologize for being brandwashed, as I passed quite a number of small cafes and coffee houses, but the one I am currently in is a Starbucks. The one with no free internet. Why? The best excuse I can come up with is it's in a good location, and the fellow patrons seemed the most amiable.

Myself and 130 fellow students bussed down to Seattle on Sunday morning for a design charrette on the urbanization of the downtown core, with the main requirement being a ban on cars in downtown. Vancouver has maintained a densely populated downtown for decades, incorporating large amounts of green space and natural elements (eco-density; the newly coined term by mayor Sam Sullivan), and now many other cities around north america seem to interested in pursuing the same. Which, in the case of Seattle, is a bit of a shift from the current office and shopping districts that occupy most of the core.

The current solution of throwing in a bunch of brand new condo high-rises doesn't seem to be producing the desired effect, due to the lack of small business, restaurants, food markets, and other services people need to live in an area. Neighbourhood, is the key. And they need to develop a neighbourhood instead of just living quarters and offices.

That speel out of the way, I should add that I'm not actually attempting to work on a proposed solution to this, I'm simply one of the mentors guiding the younger students, and getting a free trip out of it ;)

And it's been wonderful. We've had a good few hours of free time each day, providing me with much-needed me-time (and just now I almost witnessed an accident on the corner out front, where a woman on a cellphone making a left-turn didn't see a pedestrian on the sidewalk. Go cellphones!). Rather than following the model of shopping and drinking that the other mentors have been enjoying, I went off alone and explored areas of the city I've never had a chance to see. (I've been here 5 or 6 times now). I took a few photos; not too many; and breathed in fresh, clean air, kicked a good assortment of leaves that had fallen, dry, on the rainless streets. I discovered a few new parks, spoke briefly with a variety of native Seattlers, and simply enjoyed myself. Though at times I feel the need for company in order to avoid discomfort in an unfamiliar area, I've been more than happy to venture about on my own. Besides, company is no good if all they want to do is shop and spend money on items that are available, but marginally more expensive at home. That ain't no way to spend a couple of beautiful autumn days in the northwest.

This morning also gave me a chance to finally see the Olympic Sculpture Park, maintained by the Seattle Art Museum. Last year I had seen stories about it on the news back home and a few photos and articles on the internet since its opening, but getting the chance to discover it, and to do it on my own, felt so... satisfying. If only I could do this more often. I'm sure there's some sort of urban-planner/critic career out there that's for me? I'll just visit and document (and enjoy) cities around the world, and then provide recommendations for change. Yeah? yeah, sounds sweet to me.

Now if only I could hurry up and graduate so I could get on with whatever fantastic careers are in my future!

(I'll likely post this from Elliot Bay Books later on this afternoon, when we go watch the students' presentations. Oh boy I hope my team finally understood everything they were seeing and hearing,)

(Nope. No internet, and the presentations went way over time. So I'm posting it from home at 12:34am, wednesday morning.)