EcoDistrict on Capitol Hill
The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is the first official EcoDistrict in Seattle and one of the most active in the country. Embracing Health, Equity and Culture, The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is about more than protecting the environment. The EcoDistrict is about promoting and supporting healthy relationships. This holistic approach includes embracing all aspects of sustainability, including social equity, community health, environmental stewardship and cultural vitality. These issues are addressed in study of the American Institute of Architects «Local leaders’ healthier communities through design».
Local leaders know that America’s urban centers are growing, while at the same time they must accomplish more with fewer resources. Municipal governments are seeking to create the places where people want to live, and they are increasingly looking to take advantage of efficiencies that stem from districtscale systems. At the core of this movement is the notion that districts are the best scale to accelerate progress: small enough to innovate quickly, large enough to have significant impact. EcoDistricts are thus rapidly gaining prominence across America in the shape of conceptual plans. In essence, these are existing neighborhoods whose residents join with other stakeholders to create more livable places while measuring progress toward their communities’ specific goals.
As the incidence of obesity and chronic disease in the U.S. reaches unprecedented proportions, it is critical to see that EcoDistricts offer more than just resource-efficient neighborhoods. They are communities that enable residents to become healthier through better opportunities for physical activity, cleaner air and water, access to fresh foods, civic engagement, and a culture that supports health promotion. The city of Seattle has long been a leader in building better places to live and its vision for the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is now among the most advanced in the United States. Capitol Hill is a densely populated residential district in Seattle. It is one of the city’s most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts, and the center of the city’s counterculture communities.
As the city was already working to develop better public transit options, the Capitol Hill Housing Authority and civic leaders seized the opportunity to pilot an EcoDistrict around the previouslyplanned development of six new light rail station sites. With a grant from the Bullitt foundation in March 2011, Capitol Hill housing and civic leaders collaborated with GGLo’s architects, urban planners, and landscape architects to spearhead the creation of a local EcoDistrict through research, planning, and outreach to a broader group of stakeholders.
Despite the progress on EcoDistricts in other cities, these communities are still a new notion and many of the frameworks for building them do not yet exist. The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict requires new strategies and creative adaptations to current policies and financing mechanisms. It also necessitates interdisciplinary, inter-jurisdictional partnerships.
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Materials provided by THE American Institute of Architects