Exit133.com: Safe Passages in Downtown Tacoma

Safe Passages in Downtown Tacoma ( 9. January 2007, 07:48 by Derek Young) ~ Another Piece of the Puzzle

Downtown Tacoma has had, for several decades, pedestrian walkways that connect Pacific to Commerce to Broadway. These routes allow people to move between extremely long city blocks. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a time that I’ve used them or I’ve seen others on them. Today, the Tacoma Daily Index has an interview with Erik Bjornson and Ko Wibowo about their idea to re-imagine these passageways.

INDEX: What are the problems with the walkways, specifically?

WIBOWO: To be safe, you should be able to see somebody else. Some of it has hidden areas. Some areas are reinforced by the fact that nobody is on the street. It’s empty so nobody uses it.

BJORNSON: I think our worst one is between Pacific Avenue and Commerce Street. It’s a beautiful walkway. City employees have done a great job of keeping up all the plants and things like that. But there are many blind spots in it, so pedestrians can’t see what’s through there. If you can’t see all the way through, you don’t feel safe. Consequently, it’s not used much. There’s many, many blind spots in it. It needs to be opened up so you can see around it. Police can’t monitor it. You can’t see it, it’s not open, you don’t know where you are going. Even a straight staircase, even if it was boring, would draw more pedestrians than the way it is designed now.

Bringing life to these downtown corridors can only help.

Link to the Tacoma Daily Index

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As mentioned in the article, there is no activity on these passageways. The lack of activity w/intent makes these spaces a no-man’s land. No one will take ownership of the spaces and improve & activate them on their own.

The proposal to add retail spaces seems like a great start. Based on the drawing it looks like some trees have been removed. This will add some more light to areas that are a bit in the dark due to their narrow width.

If the City wants to make downtown more accessable, this design is a good tool.

1 | Posted by DavidS | Jan 9, 08:43 AM

I take this walkway every morning enroute to the office….I completely agree…and the flow is terrible, it’s like dodging lineman to get to the finish line….cement posts, etc in the general flow…..funny I have been thinking for some time that they needed to redesign that whole passage way…..and I always do heighten my situational awareness when taking them because someone could be hiding in them…...though, please don’t get rid of them, just redesign them…....It does save time going between the long blocks…and it does allow another access route to broadway and the restuarants….you know, more lighting would be a plus, and just a redesign to improve the flow, straight stairs with some great landscaping and a statue or two or something like that…just improve the flow and increase the lighting…make them more inviting….

2 | Posted by Rich | Jan 9, 09:41 AM

Hmmm, I regularly use the passageway at South 12th by Park Plaza South. Granted usually during the day. But I guess I’m just strange that way…

(On a related note, I have always figured that if I somehow become destitute and homeless, one of the tall planters in this passageway would make a great location for a well-hidden personal encampment…. Does even thinking that make me sick? Or does it just emphasize the point?)

Anyway, I’m actually more creeped out by the strange tunnel passageway at 10th between Pacific and Commerce. Weird lighting, bad smells, etc.

3 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Jan 9, 09:47 AM

Also worth mentioning: the passageway by Park Plaza South has some wonderful native plantings. I have to hope that if there were any redesign, that motif would be preserved.

4 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Jan 9, 09:50 AM

This is one very good solution of many that are needed to address the civic disorder that is plaguing the Theater District.

5 | Posted by Laura Hanan | Jan 9, 07:46 PM

It’s good to see concerned folks putting time and energy into making our city a better place. Those Pacific/Commerce/Broadway cooridores have always bugged me. Those old boxed up escalators need to be removed. And there is a place for trees and bushes, on dark walkways is not one of them!

It really is a shame our leaders don’t back up a step like they did in Portland and just make shorter blocks with a wider public right of way. This would not only encourage pedestrians but also could open up more highly desirable corner retail locations. I would love to see the redevelopment of the Ugly Downtown Parking Garages take this idea into consideration. There really should be streets going up and down the hill, not walkways.

6 | Posted by morgan | Jan 10, 01:17 PM

Regardless of whether there are redesigned pedestrian walkways or new streets, I’m glad we’re having this discussion. I feel that creating new streets in that area would result in the unnecessary destruction of several historic buildings. I wonder how Historic Tacoma would feel about this, Morgan? [:)] However, I would advocate for a broadened pedestrian area. Get rid of the trees and winding steps.

One of the best local examples of a pedestrian connection is the Harbor Steps development in Seattle. This is a major pedestrian connection between downtown and the waterfront. The Steps are about as wide as a street, and include a fountain. Nearby cafes spill out onto the level portions, and it is very wide open…..with lots of people. The tall buildings on both sides frame the Steps very well.

7 | Posted by drizell | Jan 11, 06:55 PM

I feel that creating new streets in that area would result in the unnecessary destruction of several historic buildings.

I don’t think anyone’s seriously advocating adding new streets and knocking down buildings. The effort is to basically to make the walkways open and inviting for pedestrians to use.

8 | Posted by Erik | Jan 11, 07:37 PM

I used to work at night in the building immediately next to that ‘walkway’ in between Pacific & Commerce. It’s a dark and rather scary area at night. I think even proper lighting would be a good start to help improve the area.