As Seattle prepares to undertake several major construction projects, the city should embrace and explore its buried archaeological past as a means to involve community members and spark interest in local history, argues Knute Berger.
As a city known for its innovation and forward thinking, Seattle does not typically look backwards to its past. Columnist Knute Berger thinks that it should, and that urban archaeology can play an important role in engaging the community and informing land use decisions. He argues that historic preservation should also encompass what is beneath the city surface:
"If you take the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square, you can see how false this division is. What was above is now below; while archaeology isn't always about buried architecture, architecture is inevitably the archaeology of the future, leaving its footprints, ruins, and foundations for our descendants to puzzle over. The two are linked by time, intention, and our ways of studying the past."
FULL STORY: Seattle should dig into its past
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National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
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Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service