Faced With Rapid Growth, Seattle's South Lake Union Revamps its Design Guidelines

A popular and changing neighborhood in Seattle has recommitted itself to urban design.

1 minute read

February 26, 2018, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


South Lake Union

Robert Scheuerman / Wikimedia Commons

"[T]he Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development released draft changes for the South Lake Union design guidelines," reports Stephen Fesler.

The design guidelines were mostly recently revised in 2013, but these draft changes respond to rapid growth and development in the area since that time. "The existing guidelines are quite a bit thinner and shorter than the proposed changes," writes Fesler.

The changes organize into three general areas of urban design, which Fesler describes in ore detail: "context and site (e.g., urban form and patter, architectural context and character, and natural features), public life (e.g., walkability, street-level relationship, active transportation, and open space connectivity), and design concept (e.g., open space, architectural, and uses)."

Friday, February 23, 2018 in The Urbanist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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