The 5 Worst Streets in Seattle

Want to know which streets are most likely to produce a negative emotional response among Seattle transportation safety advocates? Read on.

1 minute read

June 13, 2021, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


City Kids

Pike Place at Pike Place Market is described by Charles Mudede as "Ground Zero for the War on Cars" | SvetlanaSF / Shutterstock

Charles Mudede produces an emotional cartography of the worst streets in Seattle,

Mudede explains how Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) technology, which combines cellphone and lie detector technologies to track social-emotional responses to the city, revolutionized the practice of psychogeography. Mudede credits artist, designer, and psychogeographer Christian Nold with the use of GSR o produce social-emotional maps of cities.

The article, however, relies on expert opinion, rather than GSR, to call out the five streets in Seattle that sharply increase negative feelings.

Topping Mudede's list is Rainier Avenue, which Seattle Greenways cited as the worst street in the city, "hands down." The head of the Transit Riders Union, local reporter Ryan Packer, and even the Seattle Department of Transportation's Twitter feed are called in corroborate that assessment.

Also included on the list are Pike Place at Pike Place Market (!!), 15th Ave NW, Denny Way, and Martin Luther King Jr Way.

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