Oct 16 2006
Kid Friendly Downtown?
The Seattle PI posted an article today about the lack of family-friendly living in the downtown core. Parents cite lack of larger units, developers cite lack of schools and schools cite lack of demand; an unenviable catch-22. Yet, I’m not sure there is an easy solution.
Certainly, bringing schools to the area will provide a foundation for families to consider urban living. But, should the city invest into a new school that currently would have very little demand, especially at a time when other schools are closing? Will building larger units, as some parents claim, bring them to the downtown area? Considering that 2-bedroom units at Rollin Street Flats & Escala start at $800,000, it reasons that only uber-wealthy families could afford a 3-bedroom “family-sized” condo. And, would children who live in million-dollar condos attend public rather than private schools?
The PI had an accompanying article about how downtown family living works in Vancouver, BC. The article cited downtown schools and the fact that many of those families came from areas where high-rise family living is common and that’s why it works. Which may certainly be true. But, Vancouver’s downtown area, and I’m talking about the West End (between the financial district & Stanley Park), is essentially residential with a mixture of low and high-rise residential buildings, single-family homes, parks, schools and quiet tree-lined streets. Families lived in this part of downtown long before the explosion of high-rises along False Creek and Burrard Inlet.
The fact of the matter is Seattle isn’t Vancouver and never will be. Plus, Vancouver has something Seattle doesn’t, a long-established downtown residential neighborhood with infrastructure and community services to support it. Rather than compare ourselves to Vancouver, Seattle (the city) needs to look inward to determine if the downtown area can truly support urban family living for all classes. And, if so, the city needs to develop solutions rather than rely on developers or the wait endlessly before the demographics change.
[…] Update: Ben asks the hard questions that I’m too lazy to because I dont’ have kids: But, should the city invest into a new school that currently would have very little demand, especially at a time when other schools are closing? Will building larger units, as some parents claim, bring them to the downtown area? Considering that 2-bedroom units at Rollin Street Flats & Escala start at $800,000, it reasons that only uber-wealthy families could afford a 3-bedroom “family-sized†condo. And, would children who live in million-dollar condos attend public rather than private schools? October 16th 2006 Posted to Uncategorized, Seattle PI […]