Sleepless In Seattle : The Final Chapter

Pacific North Coast: Great Seattle Fire

On June 6, 1889 a fire started that spread for 25 blocks and burned the entirety of Seattle's business district. It was a worker at a cabinet-making shop who accidently started the blaze. While there was only one fatality, the total damage cost about 20 million dollars. That was quite a chunk of change back in the late 1800s. The citizens of Seattle decided to rebuild after the fires, rather than relocate. After the Great Seattle Fire many changes were made in terms of fire safety ordinances and standards.

references:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seattle_fire

California: Earthquakes

As this clip from an interesting National Geographic special reveals, Seattle rest upon a fault that will inevitably produce a massive earthquake. It is uncertain when such a destructive natural disaster will occur. But just as one of the scientists confess in this video, living in the beautiful city of Seattle is well worth the possibly of experiencing such a disaster within the next couple of decades.

The Empty Interior: Battle Of Seattle

On the morning of January 26, 1856, after months of raids and clashes with federal troops in southern King County and in Thurston County, Native Americans attacked Seattle. The battle ultimately ended with two European causalities, and twenty-eight Native deaths. Eurpeoan victory was inevitable, due to their being backed with artillery fire and having Marine support.

The Southwest Border Area: Ethnic Diversity

According to the 1990 and 2000 census surveys, the percentage of white citizens decreased over the 10 year span, but caucasians are still the vast majority of the population. The slight change, though, may have to do with the census beginning to take more than one ethnic background into consideration in the 2000 surveys.

references:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/census2000/charts/verticalrail.html

The Great Plains and Prairies: Human/Land Interaction

Starting in 2002, in an effort to curtail carbon emissions, Seattle began to receive a portion of its power from Stateline Wind Energy Center. An endeavor which has been labeled the "Stateline Wind Project" generates electricity from wind. The Seattle City Light Energy Management Services now has 175 megawatts of wind generating capacity due to the project, which will produce 54 megawatts per year. In addition to this, a biodiesel program was implemented in 2004. Biodiesel creates less greenhouse gas emission than standard petroleum.

References:

http://www.rnp.org/Projects/stateline.html

The Agricultural Core- Urban Agriculture in Seattle

On April 29, 2010 legislation was passed in Seattle which removed barriers the previous restricted the growth of urban agriculture. The new regulations are a giant step in the right direction for the urban agriculture movement. The new rules are set to:

• expand opportunities for community gardens and urban farms in all zones

• allow rooftop greenhouses dedicated to food production a 15 foot exception to height limits

• add farmers’ markets to the definition of a “multipurpose retail sales” use

• increase the number of domestic fowl allowed on a lot from three to eight

• allow existing urban horse farms greater than ten acres to operate as a permitted use in single-family zones

2010 has been named "The Year of Urban Agriculture" in Seattle. What is ultimately intended to be gained from the new legislation is the promotion of urbanized framing methods and a stronger dependence on locally grown food.

references:

http://www.seattle.gov/urbanagriculture/

The Southern Coastlands- Sustainable Development in Seattle

The city of Seattle is going Green(er). Just recently the city's Planning and Development Division instated a program that intends to include sustainable features for site development projects and all government buildings under five thousand feet. All architectural endeavors strive to receive a minimum silver level rating from the US Green Building Council's LEED rating system. The most recent addition is that of the Carkeek Environmental Learning Center, which snagged the city's first Gold rating.

references:

http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/sustainable/default.htm