Why: Respondents to the 2024 Madrona Community Survey conducted earlier this year cited “Sense of Community and Social Engagement” as their primary response to the question “Which aspects of our neighborhood would you most like to see improved?” (34.5% of the 142 respondents chose “sense of community”, with a close second being “walkability and pedestrian safety” selected by 28.2% of respondents).

Research in urban design highlights community seating areas as essential for building community connection because they offer a place for people to linger, offering more opportunity for connection. As many of you may already know, 34th Avenue has limited public seating available. There is currently only one public bench located just South of Café Soleil on E Union Street. Madrona’s limited community seating means there is an opportunity to update the design of Madrona’s main shopping corridor to achieve better community connection by adding more public seating spaces. As a result, Madrona’s Community Seating Project was born.

We have explored alternative public bench additions and other community seating options with the city that would not repurpose two parking spaces, however Madrona is an old neighborhood and our sidewalk width is out of compliance with contemporary standards and code for neighborhood design. The city will not approve anything else to go along our sidewalks. Replacing parking space for community seating is the only option to experiment with seating improvements at an affordable price, and within a timeline that isn’t dependent on large-scale redevelopment projects that can take years.

When:

We are targeting March 2025 to have Community Seating functional in front of Hi Spot and Madrona Market.

Supporting Research:

“In this regard public open spaces have two main functions: while in open spaces people feel that they are connected to a larger social system and these spaces serve as gathering places for people to communicate with each other. If cities and neighborhoods have advanced public open spaces, residents will build a strong sense of community. Researchers suggest that relations with other people, spaces and events contribute to a sense of familiarity and attachment to society.” (Recep Efe, 2016).

“Converting a curb lane into a public seating area on Pearl Street (Manhattan) increased sales volumes at adjacent businesses by 14%.” (Litman, 2014).

“While it is true that pedestrianization schemes are not appropriate for all types of commercial streets and must be adapted to the local context, numerous academic studies have showcased that commercial pedestrianization may involve a positive-sum game, where all stakeholders, including local businesses, end up benefiting.” (Kohn & Wachsmuth, 2021).

“The results revealed that replacing on-street parking with driving lanes, cycle lanes, and public spaces can lead to better traffic performance.” (Sha, et al., 2024).

“Parklets can be implemented in urban environments to provide recreational spaces for pedestrians without compromising the efficiency of the transportation network. A “parklet” refers to an area where seating, patios, or other amenities are provided, without disrupting the sidewalk for mobility. This provides a destination for pedestrians to travel to, improves the vitality of streets, and give breaks to walkers.” (Jaller, et al., 2021).