27 Aug Is it reasonable to ask for other neighborhoods to support Pioneer Square?

When a small group of volunteers started planning The Seattle Square market back in January, there was so much support; from the parks department, the neighborhood association (TAPS), DSA, business owners, and residents.

Last Saturday marked the halfway point for the market. I’m still wondering why more people didn’t warn us how crazy this idea was and how, as far as time commitment and stress, it’s pretty much the same as trying to start a new business.

With six Saturdays down, and five to go, we’re left asking ourselves “Why the #$^!^ did we decide to do this again?”

Take a moment and read the following post from a local blog, called “Urban Research”:

Last weekend Michelle & I went down to Pioneer Square to check out the new Seattle Square market that just opened up there. We both loved it and I plan on posting a few photos from it over the next couple days.

These are just a few from around the area though. I hadn’t spent much time in Pioneer Square and I’m not sure why – I guess I had always just associated it with tourists. We both had a lot of fun walking around though. The historic statues, potholes exposing old brick, faded vintage signs, and even the tourists were surprisingly charming.

We kept commenting throughout the meal that it felt as if we’d stepped into another city and were carefree vacationers. I regret not having spent more time in the area before.

There’s no way that I could say it better myself. (and I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that reading that post brings a hint of tears to my eyes)

Slowly, but surely, it seems like more of Pioneer Square has embraced the market as the summer has gone on. We’re seeing more residents sign up as volunteers, businesses that are willing to donate prizes to our different contests, and other residents that spend their Saturday in Occidental, activating and enjoying the park.

One of the kids of a Pioneer Square family (who host our “children’s area” every week)

With all of the neighborhood + city support for the market, there’s a question that still remains for me: Is it possible to revitalize a neighborhood when you have so few residents (not to mention residents that are actually stakeholders).

The actual number of residents in Pioneer Square is so low (estimates range from 1200 – 1800) that even if we wanted to, it feels like we couldn’t activate this neighborhood on our own.

Back in 2009 at the Pioneer Square Revitalization Steering Committee, Donovan Rypkema said that “we need to get Seattle residents to Pioneer Square – it is dreadfully underutilized by the surrounding City.”

But is it reasonable to ask for the support of residents in other neighborhoods?

I had originally drafted a post demanding that those of you who routinely criticize Pioneer Square, actually come down and be a part of revitalization efforts. In a conversation with a coworker, however, he asked me how often I go to other neighborhoods (like Georgetown, Columbia City, Renton, etc.), to support their efforts.

And I don’t. My entire focus has been on what I can do to make my neighborhood better. When I lived in the middle of downtown, I never ventured down to Pioneer Square. But I also never made a concentrated effort to go to neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Belltown, or Fremont, either (unless, of course, there was a specific event that sounded interesting).

So I realize that while I can’t expect Greater Seattle residents to come and support efforts in Pioneer Square, I’m hoping that we can create reasons for some of you to give this neighborhood a try, even if you don’t live or work here.

Because without the help of the rest of Seattle, it seems that Pioneer Square is on a very long road to recovery if it has to do it alone.

What Pioneer Square brings to the City of Seattle
In a recent Crosscut article, Knute Berger stated that the departure of Elliott Bay Book Co seems to have lit a fire under the residents in Pioneer Square. Not only is there the Saturday market, there is also:

1. urban soccer being played in Occidental Park every Thursday night
2. a blitz chess tournament coming up this Sunday
3. talks of a one-day music fest in October
4. a loft tour in November
5. a holiday market in December
6. a vacant storefront activation program that is already under way

And that doesn’t even get into all of the other activities to do here, like the underground tour, the klondike museum, and all of the regular programming that the neighborhood association organizes.

The people that I would love to see coming to the neighborhood are the ones who experience it and then say “I hadn’t spent much time in Pioneer Square and I’m not sure why,” because with all of its faults, maybe they get a glimpse into what the rest of us see every day.