Image: ARCADE
Via UrbnLivn, design & culture nonprofit ARCADE recently looked up at all of the cranes in the sky above Seattle and wondered not about what was being built but what had been demolished before the cranes ever went up. They mapped out Seattle by submitted applications for demolition to show the exponentially-rising tide in the last five years, especially in Ballard and Capitol Hill. "While much is being made of Seattle's growth, what about its related casualties? What of all the torn down buildings and the aspects of Seattle's culture they may have represented?" The shifting culture of Seattle is a hot topic at the moment and as ARCADE puts it, "the map represents a version of Seattle now destined to become history. But it also indicates potential."
While most of the growth around Seattle is coming in the form of offices and mixed-use projects with middle/upper-class income in mind, the properties most likely to have been demolished include single family residences, multifamily residences, commercial buildings and school facilities. There's more to all these stories than just what they are but finding that balance between preservation and growth is at the heart of Seattle's most pressing concerns right now.
· Changing Seattle: Tracking Demolition Permits [ARCADE]
· Seattle Lit Up With Demolition Permits [UL]