Promenades and bike paths. Pop-up markets and concerts. A children’s play area and green open spaces. These things and more are coming to Seattle’s waterfront, thanks to the good work of Friends of Waterfront Seattle.
As the sole nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle’s Waterfront Park project, Friends of Waterfront Seattle is collaborating with community partners to create a cultural hub and welcoming waterfront experience for Seattle’s residents and guests. This nonprofit is part of a global movement to “reclaim underutilized infrastructure and reimagine it as public space.” Spanning 20 acres along Seattle’s downtown shoreline – the front porch of the city, as it’s been called – the Waterfront Park will stretch from Pioneer Square to Belltown neighborhoods.
Here are a few ways this park will serve Seattle locals and visitors alike:
- Engaging events such as concerts, sports, walking tours, dance and yoga lessons, festivals, and pop-up markets will offer multicultural fun for all.
- 24/7 safety staff and community partnerships with those serving Seattle’s houseless residents will make all guests feel safe.
- Small businesses along the shoreline will benefit from the overall economic growth that the Park will generate.
- Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish peoples. Friends of Waterfront Seattle is actively partnering with Indigenous individuals and organizations to honor this legacy and their continued strength and resiliency into the present day.
- Replacing concrete with green space will reduce urban heat island effect, encourage alternative transportation, and help restore salmon habitats near the shore.
The Murdock Trust is grateful to partner with Friends of Waterfront Seattle to bring greater opportunities for connection in the heart of Seattle. Caring for public spaces, whether in urban centers or National Parks, was important to our benefactor, Jack Murdock. Jack was a devoted outdoorsman who also cared deeply for the cities of our region. That’s why the Trust has been honored to partner with conservancies, land trusts, and parks foundations as they care for the land of the Pacific Northwest and create space for communities to thrive.
To Friends of Waterfront Park Seattle and to all those working to provide opportunities for flourishing across all our region’s lands, we say thank you!
