Stewart Brand discusses how people alter buildings over time to suit their needs and how this haphazard process can produce charm and character in our cities that can t be duplicated by new development. Architect Mary Johnston and her husband Ray have designed additions for 11 of their neighbors in the Bryant neighborhood, including adding a second floor to this home. Johnston says homeowners in the city close-in neighborhoods have been happily increasing density without a fuss. Photo by Maude Scott. No matter how hard planners and architects try to add variation and texture, it is invariably a pale representation of what a city really is, an entity in space and time.
Nothing can replace the richness of a streetscape that grew and changed over a period of years.
That is one reason why we cleave to our beloved neighborhoods in Seattle and why the changes we make in them every day are worth careful study by those in charge of envisioning housing in Seattle for years to come. In professional circles it is fashionable to lament the lack of civic consciousness in our city. But those backyards have much to teach designers and planners about how growth can be accommodated while retaining our sense of place. Without much official help and often overcoming official obstacles, Seattle s close-in neighborhoods have happily increased density without a fuss. Look around your own neighborhood and count the number of new second floors, dormers and other additions that have appeared in the last five years.