Open Thread 31

Sound Transit has published a full Link-reduction schedule for January 13-February 4. All train runs are listed. although the weekend down bus shuttle is still just every 10-15 minutes". There are also regular bus routes that may help avoid the gap for certain trip pairs.

Seattle Transit Map has released a night owl update (1-5am). The regular Seattle map with all transit services graded by frequency is also available. These maps are free and are produced by STB's Oran Viriyincy.

ST explores fare gates ($) at Link stations. Consultants said retrofitting the five busiest stations - Northgate, University District, Capitol Hill, Westlake, and International District/Chinatown - for $31 million would break even within one to seven years, and reap $88 million-plus over 20 years." That's just one concept, and the article cautions that the cost and revenue would have to be verified. The ST board will get a detailed staff briefing on fare gates sometime this year. The Urbanist analyzed the last report in 2022.

An Uptown lowrise ($) may be the first Seattle office building to be converted to apartments. Stream Real Estate has filed a plan with the city to convert the 4-story building to 68 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and add a 5th story on top to leverage the Elliott Bay views. The building would have a small urban farm" in the outdoor amenities area.

The second edition of Human Transit will be published February 6th. The preface and table of contents are available online.

Amsterdam has a Pruitt-Igoe like urban-renewal failure called the Bijlmer. It's a cluster of highrise tower-in-the-park apartment buildings connected to highways with a strict separation of uses. The honeycomb-shaped buildings look like the Pentagon unrapped. Many Amsterdam residents refused to live there, and it became a ghetto. Ultimately several buildings were demolished and the remainder were modified. (Hoog video)

RMTransit reflects on the past and future of his transit video channel.

This is an open thread.