Converting Alleys into Public Spaces, Part II

Last month, I posted an idea about a family-friendly alley conversion project for downtown Austin. Everyone I have been talking to about this project is excited about the possibilities. In talking to folks, I also found out that an "Alley Regeneration Project" is underway in the residential area of Guadalupe Neighborhood outside of downtown, as a partnership between the City of Austin, University of Texas Center for Sustainable Development, Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the Austin Community Design and Development Center.  The project started in 2011, when a team of UT students in a Public Interest Design course put together a toolkit with some really cool ideas for greening Austin's alleys, with a focus on residential areas. The toolkit includes 17 different strategies, many of which could and should be applied in a downtown context, including lighting, alley gateways, street graphics, shading, and alley furniture

Seattle Alley Conversion
Photo by Mira Poling, Courtesy of Alley Network Project

Through this initiative, the partners are now collaborating closely with residents to put their ideas into action in the Guadalupe Neighborhood. They are working on a Green Alley demonstration site that will likely become a model for other Austin neighborhood alleys.

I've had a fun time researching other cities' alley conversion projects as well. Check out the fun stuff happening in Seattle via the Alley Network Project. As their organizers stated:

"Changing the perception of alleys as places for crime or garbage into places to be used by everyone is not only possible, but happening all over the country and the world."

World Cup Watching in Seattle Alley
Photo by Jordan Lewis, for Alley Network Project

First Thursday event in Nord Alley, Seattle
Photo by Kari Quaas, for Alley Network Project

AlleyUp! Performance in Seattle Alley
Photo by Jordan King, Courtesy of Alley Network Project