What We Do
We play a crucial role in evaluating projects that propose the vacation of a street or alley to enable new development, the construction of a new skybridge, or the reauthorization of an existing skybridge. We advise the Seattle Department of Transportation on whether the street or alley vacation negatively impacts the remaining right-of-way and how those impacts can be mitigated through proposed public benefits. Public benefits mainly include public space improvements such as widened sidewalks, new open spaces, or enhancements to the surrounding streets or alleys.
The Seattle Design Commission advises elected officials and the public on design excellence in City facilities, infrastructure, and the public realm. Six values guide our work:
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- Inspired Design - Inspired design unifies the public realm and inspires the community by embodying state-of-the-art practices.
- Contextual Integration - Integrated design responds to its context and enhances its neighborhood.
Innovative Sustainability - Sustainable design minimizes environmental impact and provides long-term self-sufficiency. - Social Inclusion - Inclusive design seeks to elevate the quality of life for all and responds fluently to its cultural context.
- Exemplary Partnerships - Design partnerships leverage public, community, and private resources, integrating design efforts across multiple disciplines and agencies to achieve greater results with the same resources.
- Effective Investments - Effective design provides high value for the investment by thoughtfully considering flexibility, longevity, and total life-cycle costs.
We meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month in the Boards & Commissions room, located on the lower level of Seattle City Hall at 600 4th Ave. We review City-funded capital projects like community centers, park facilities, fire stations, and police stations. We also review vision plans like the Bicycle Master Plan and key transportation projects such as the Alaska Way / Viaduct Replacement and State Route 520.