Seattle’s recent prosperity has simultaneously created a construction boom and a shortage of housing. It’s up for debate whether the new construction will increase affordability. High density is now the goal of City Hall, though many neighborhoods are wary of seemingly unhindered development impacting quality of life.
HALA
The city’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) is the theme of this holiday card. The design style reflects the early 60’s, when the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair (also known as Century 21) provided a glimpse of the future. The stylized skyline of cranes over a cityscape form a christmas tree with presents underneath. One lone house represents the century-old bungalows that are increasingly being lost to high density.
In 2014, the Mayor of Seattle charged the HALA to create a plan that can generate a net increase of 50,000 units of housing – 20,000 units of affordable housing and 30,000 new units of market rate housing – over the next decade.
Among the 65 recommendations, HALA calls for increased opportunities for multifamily housing, especially in areas near transit, services and amenities, bolstering the urban village growth strategy by:
- Rezoning single family within urban villages to allow more intensive development where City is targeting growth; and
proximity to amenities.
Category
Design, Illustration, Print