Site Report 4

An example of a "modern" city

Holistically, the University District is a heavily commercialized area despite the large number of single family homes in the area. Single family homes in this area however are often not housing families but young adults all relatively the same age and mostly students. This different dynamic leads to a high concentration of commercial use buildings. With this in mind future development of the University District should focus on centralizing these two aspects with respect to the main campus. This has many added benefits, as it will be easier to keep this area safe from crime due to its decrease in size and city services can be focused. Yet with this economic development localized to the campus, it will in turn make the areas further away less valuable in the short run and may push the concentration of crime further northward.

While it does have many stakeholders, students have been and should always be at the forefront for development and change within the area. Of course, students are a constant and there is no risk losing them due to the fact that the location of the University cannot change. In turn, the most influential stakeholder, outside of the University itself, becomes the commercial stakeholders. Building developers can profit greatly with development in the immediate area near campus. The Existing Conditions Report from 2014 provides a potential snapshot of this potential area by highlighting the walking distances from the Light Rail station. When juxtaposed with the Parks Plan created in 2015, there is a stark difference in the priorities of each of these plans. While the Existing Conditions Report focuses highly on the commercial aspects of the area, the Parks Plan focuses on the common areas. Parks and common areas, however, will always be second in priority due economic demand as parks do not directly make money for the city.

Block 11 is likely to become one of those highly commercialized blocks. Because it is University property, it is extremely likely that this block is developed upwards. The main campus of the University of Washington is in a constant state of development and this can just as easily apply to the lands that are not directly connected to the campus. Moreover, the University of Washington Medical Center, receives large amounts of funding from the state that must be used in some capacity and given this eventual further development of this block seems inevitable (O'mara 10).

Centering this area around students is not particularly important as this building serves the greater Seattle community. However, since this block affects more than just the University community, it is subjected to the outside influences of a city and nation. Reduction in the use of fossil fuels has lead to the return of the "walking city." In the future, this block can maintain its use as a clinic, but potentially with a high rise apartment complex where doctors and nurses can live. The proximity to the University promotes this idea as well as it provides the skils needed to practice medicine and ultimately succeed in this new knowledge economy (O'mara 11).

Freund, David M. P. The Modern American Metropolis: A Documentary Reader. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2015. Print.

O'Mara, Margaret. "The Other Tech Bubble." The American Prospect. N.p., 19 Feb. 2016. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.