Breathing Life Back into Seattle's Alleys

For little money, one of the city's alleyways was given new life through the simple addition of street furniture and other basic amenities. City leaders are using its success as a model.

"In order to make downtown more pedestrian friendly, the City of Seattle is looking at the the Nord Alley experience as a potential model for other locations. That's one of the recommendations made by ISI and Copenhagen-based Gehl Architects in a survey to be released next month.

The report collected data about how many people walk downtown, how far they go and how they use public spaces. More than 40 University of Washington students walked every block, mapping street furniture and trees, counting pedestrian traffic and interviewing more than 1,300 people about the purpose of their visit to downtown, explained Helle Soholt, managing partner of Gehl Architects."