BUILDING A HABITAT CORRIDOR

SAVING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES ON AURORA AVENUE TODAY!

Christel Game

Each year more and more species are becoming endangered and one of the most common causes for this situation is the loss of habitat. For this project, I’m seeing pedestrians as a unique species and Aurora Avenue as their habitat. Troubling crime rates, lack of infrastructure for walking, and dangerous conditions are threatening this species to the point of being endangered. This project examines the conditions contributing to habitat loss, proposes strategies to recover habitat, and provides implementation approaches using a toolkit of temporary artistic features. The short-term installations are meant to be an affordable alternative to mend the habitat by providing space, shelter, and increased movement among the species. This project defines an option that can be applied in the immediate future, positively impacting pedestrians, and serves as catalyst for future projects, initiating improved habitat conditions and setting the stage for continued and longer term improvements.

The proposed temporal installations seek to create awareness of the several problems that pedestrians faced along Aurora Avenue and the need for a better pedestrian habitat by improving different aspects such as safety, community engagement, urban play, culture, education, and movement.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION:

KINGDOM

Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS

Mammalia

ORDER

Carnivora

FAMILY

Homonidae

GENUS Homo

SPECIES

H. Sapiens

VARIATION

Seatleite Pedester

Seattle Pedestrian

(H. Sapiens var. seattleite pedester)

Based on the taxonomic rank of the human species

AREA OF INTEREST:

Seattle as a whole:

N. 105th Street

N. 100th Steet

N. 95th Street

N. 90th Street

N. 85th Street

Cemeteries

North Seattle College

New Elementary and Middle Schools

Green Lake

SPECIES IDENTIFIED ON AURORA:

Map and Data Source: WAGDA, https://wagda.lib.washington.edu/data/geography/wa_cities/seattle/index.html

Focus:

RAPID RIDE TRUCKS CARS BICYCLES PEDESTRIANS

MAIN REASONS FOR HABITAT LOSS:

There are three main reasons for habitat loss along Aurora Avenue: lack of biodiversity, unfriendly street design, and habitat fragmentation.

1. LACK OF BIODIVERSITY WITHIN THE SPECIES

ADULT RESIDENTS

GENETIC BIODIVERSITY: Is the variation in genes that exists within a species

CHILDREN RESIDENTS VISITORS LAW BREAKERS

2. DEVELOPMENT - UNFRIENDLY STREET DESIGN

DISTANCE BETWEEN EACH LIGHT POLE

The approximate distance between light poles is 125’ to 130’

HIGH LIGHT POLES

The average height of light poles on Aurora is 3 stories

NARROW SIDEWALKS

The sidewalks are about 8’ wide where they exist

HIGH VOLUME, FAST TRAFFIC

The average daily traffic is 37,950 vehicles. The average speed is 42.3 mph. The speed limit is 35mph.

FEW CROSSWALKS

The crosswalks are every 5 blocks, where traffic lights occur, e.g.: N.85th Street, N. 90th Street, N. 95th Street etc.

NO SHADE

There are few trees along Aurora between 85th and the cemeteries to give shade.

WIDE STREET

The approximate total width of Aurora Ave N. vehicle lanes is 74’

MAIN REASONS FOR HABITAT LOSS:

FRAGMENTATION - LEVELS

- Aurora Licton Springs Residential Urban Village

While the area outlined here is designated as a Residential Urban Village, there are limited ways for the area to function as such, especially with Aurora as a barrier that dissects the Village.

- Traffic lights and crosswalks

Painted crosswalks are provided every 5 blocks, where traffic lights occur. These become key pedestrian focal areas in need of improvement.

- Land Use

Commercial

Neighborhood Commercial School

Low-rise Multifamily

Single Family

City Owned + Open Space

Land uses along Aurora Ave. N. are commercial, with housing on either side. Key pedestrian destinations -new schools and Licton Springs Park, are located on the east of the Urban Village.

RECOVERING THE HABITAT - STRATEGY:

1. FULFILLING THE NEEDS OF THE SPECIES

Habitat that gets fragmented, such as by roads, may become too small and isolated to support a species’ needs.1

The “natural” habitat of the species H. Sapiens var. seattleite pedester has been cut up into fragments by Aurora Avenue N. and into focused development. This recovery startegy involves fulfilling four key need through design along Aurora Avenue.

1 National Wildlife Federation. “Habitat Loss”. http:// nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Habitat-Loss. aspx

2. PROVIDING HABITAT FUNCTION

The National Wildlife Federation writes, “The loss and fragmentation of habitat make it difficult for migratory species to find places to rest and feed along their migration routes.”1 Along Aurora Avenue N., the needs can be addressed by designing for pedestrian space, providing a means of shelter, and offering types of nourishment.

1 National Wildlife Federation. “Habitat Loss”. http:// nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Habitat-Loss. aspx

RECOVERING THE HABITAT - STRATEGY:

3. INTRODUCING HABITAT PATCHES

Habitat Patch Connectivity

Lenore Fahrig and Merriam Gray write, “A common case of resource patchiness occurs when the habitat is divided into useable patches which are separated from one another by nonuseable habitat.”1

Along Aurora, the pedestrian patches are found primarily at the intersections where crosswalks and bus stops are located.

4. CONNECTING THROUGH

Habitat Stepping Stones Connectivity

Lenore Fahrig and Merriam Gray write, “If a patch is isolated from other similar patches, so that immigration is minimal, and if there is a high probability of population extinction in the patch, then the probability of survival of a population in the patch will be very low.”1 The idea is to connect the habitat patches with stepping stones to constitute a HABITAT CORRIDOR in which the species can move freely.

Along Aurora, such habitat rich stepping stones can begin to extend species presence in this corridor.

This is the place where it is most likely to encounter members of the species. It is here where they gather until they are able to cross Aurora Ave N.

PLACE-MAKER

Highlights proximity to places, such as: schools, parks, p-patch, college, etc.

INTERSECTION I.D.

Provide a different color to identify each intersection.