The AIA Seattle Design Gallery will be hosting Transit-Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State. The exhibit will highlight portions of the recently released report authored by Futurewise, Transportation Choices Coalition and GGLO. The report and exhibit present a vision and action plan for promoting compact communities that reduce reliance on personal vehicles.
As presented in the report:
The urban areas of Washington State will grow in a manner that is good for both people and the planet.
Urban growth patterns will give people access to choices in housing and transportation by creating more mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods with excellent pedestrian, bicycle and transit connectivity. These patterns will allow more people access to homes, jobs, and community services without relying on personal vehicles, thereby reducing household transportation expenses and promoting better physical health. Neighborhoods will be well designed, preserve historic and cultural character, and offer ample open space, good schools and recreational opportunities-all together fostering a strong sense of place and community.
Urban growth patterns will also help protect the planet, promoting long-term environmental sustainability and the conservation of natural resources. Compact urban patterns in existing cities will direct development away from working farms and forestlands, thereby protecting food and fiber production, wildlife habitat, and water quality. These patterns will reduce impervious cover that leads to run-off pollution, and decrease shoreline development that leads to erosion and habitat destruction. Compact development will be energy efficient, reducing energy-related pollution and increasing energy independence. Finally, these compact patterns will allow more people the choice to walk, bike or take transit, leading to critical reductions in vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions.
The opening festivities for the exhibit are planned for Oct. 27. There will be a happy hour from 4 to 6:00 p.m. at Pike Brewing Company (located at 1415 First Ave. in Pike Place Market) followed by the gallery's opening reception at AIA Seattle's Design Gallery (located at 1911 First Ave.) from 6 to 8:00 p.m.
