City of Edmonds - Washington

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Streets have always been a place where communities come together, and the sights and sounds associated with streets engrained in our memories. What sensations do you associate with the modern street? It is loud and bustling with activity on a Friday night? Is it quiet and serene during a morning walk? Maybe kids are playing a game of street basketball, or the savor of street food wafts through the air. Public space provides a great equalizer; they provide truly democratic spaces that everyone has the right to enjoy.

Streets comprise approximately 77 percent of the City’s public space network and should be adaptable to serve multiple functions and needs — a place where people are prioritized and anyone can access multiple modes of transport, visit with their neighbors, and safety is assured.

The last 100 years of transportation planning have centered on street design that facilitates the expeditious movement of vehicles — often to the detriment of safety and comfort of other roadway users.

The Reimagining Neighborhoods + Streets project is an opportunity to envision and put into action what the streets of tomorrow will look and feel like. The community is invited to engage in a process to develop new street and public space typologies that will guide how streets are built in the future and allow for more spontaneous use of public space.

Project deliverables include

EDMONDS GREENWAY LOOP

A Multi-Use path designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities with walking and biking priorities.   Emphasis for the design will focus on accessibility for all ages and abilities. Users can enjoy the path in a variety of ways - walking, jogging, biking, rolling or simply strolling. 

NEW STREET TYPOLOGIES

 The existing street functional classification system is based on the federal system—which is organized primarily around traffic volumes. New street typologies will consider vehicle movement, but will ensure that street design serves social, environmental, and economic needs and functions as well.

NEW PUBLIC SPACE TYPOLOGIES

Public space typologies will be designed to optimize the existing right of way by enabling social hubs, expanding connectivity, and improving environmental outcomes.

GREEN STREETS

STREET TREE PLAN 

NEIGHBORHOOD PILOT PROJECTS

PORCHFEST EDMONDS

A cherished community music festival, bringing the neighborhood streets to life with the melodious sounds of local talent and fostering a strong sense of togetherness. This annual event , hosted by the City of Edmonds this year, with its core group members, has transformed porches into stages, creating lively music corridors throughout the neighborhood.

At the heart of downtown, the "Edmonds Community Porch" was set up as the main stage, hosting some of the most captivating performances of the day. The Main Street with this central stage was transformed with vibrant turf, inviting attendees to bring their blankets, chairs, and food, creating a delightful picnic ambiance right on the street.

Porchfest offered a day filled with musical delights, entertainment, and opportunities for community interaction .The success of this year's Porchfest goes beyond just the music; it represents a commitment to the idea that our streets can serve as more than just conduits for transportation. They can be transformed into spaces that bring people together, fostering a sense of unity, and making our community even stronger.

PERRINVILLE PALOOZA

(76th Ave W at Olympic view Dr)  has succeeded in transforming a busy street into a community space.

This lively street party brought together hundreds of community members, showcasing the transformative power of a bustling traffic street turned into a thriving people-centric space. Our Perrinville core group strongly believed that the neighborhood should celebrate it's character and wants to bring the community together with a fun filled theme.

The event featured a special wheels parade, where kids adorned their bikes, wagons, strollers, scooters, and more in colorful decorations, adding to the festive spirit of the occasion.

One of the major attractions was the street-side pumpkin catch, a delightful autumn-themed activity that welcomed the fall season right in the heart of the neighborhood. Hundreds of pumpkins adorned the street, creating a cozy fall ambiance complemented by fire pits and s'mores stations, allowing everyone to embrace the seasonal cheer. Why travel to a distant farm for a pumpkin patch when you can find one right in your neighborhood? The community businesses enthusiastically participated, setting up stalls along the street, further enhancing the event's vibrant atmosphere.

Perrinville Palooza was a true fun-filled day, with children enjoying bouncy houses, the bubble dome, face painting, street games, and, of course, an array of delicious food and music.

This event showcased that any street, not just those in downtown areas, has the potential to be transformed into a lively community space. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our core group and fellow residents of Perrinville, this reimagining pilot was a resounding success. 

WESTGATE

The Westgate core group has expressed a keen interest in launching a community art project or establishing a lasting public art installation. Through a series of productive meetings, this core group has displayed an impressive level of engagement, actively sharing their innovative concepts and unbridled enthusiasm for transforming Westgate into a thriving artistic neighborhood. A significant contribution to this endeavor has come from one of the core group members, who is also a talented artist, dedicating her time and skills to advance this creative vision. With an abundance of ideas and unwavering energy, we are on the verge of taking significant steps further

Considering the influence of seasonal changes, the core group has made the decision to have the event and art installation for early next year, once the winter concludes. This promising initiative has the potential to become one of the first community events of the upcoming year, marking a fitting conclusion to the 'Reimagining' pilot projects.