Cars or People?

In the aftermath of 2001's Nisqually earthquake that damaged the seawall on Seattle's shoreline, the city is still debating how to proceed regarding the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the waterside highway that carries 105,000 vehicles a day. Options being considered: rebuild the viaduct, replace it with a six-lane tunnel and build parks and boulevards above, or scrap the highway altogether, replace it with greenspace, and improve other transportation options. The New York Times summarizes, "Seattle is the latest city to weigh the value of replacing a 20th-century symbol of driving efficiency, designed to serve cars, with parks and boulevards, designed to enrich the human experience." The history and context of the viaduct is informative: "When it was opened in 1953, the 2.2-mile-long viaduct represented the country’s economic development priorities, providing drivers efficient routes from the central city to growing suburbs. Similar shoreline freeways were built in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Cleveland and other cities. But in the early years of the 21st century, Seattle’s old wall of concrete has come to be viewed as a barrier to the city’s quality of life. The viaduct has been accused of various civic offenses, including separating residents from easy access to natural resources, especially a spectacular shoreline. "

  

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