University of Washington
Field Research | Interviewing | Qualitative & Quantitative Data Gathering | Data Visualization
✦ Overview
Client: University of Washington
Team: Saam Ejlali
Project: Exploring Seattle's Urban Evolution
Duration: 6 Months
My role:
Field Research
Interview
Data Collection: Qualitative & Quantitative
Data Visualization
Creative Producer
✦ Background
If you've ever driven in Seattle, you've likely come across highways or ramps that seem incomplete or lead to nowhere. Like many inquisitive folks, you're probably puzzled by this! These odd structures tell a tale of some of the most significant public activism ever seen in Seattle's history.
In 1960, Seattle began undergoing seismic changes. The construction of I-5 ruthlessly bifurcated the city, rupturing the buildings and social fabric of what is now known as the International District, AKA (China Town). The same year, voters approved the city’s plans for the proposed Bay Freeway and R.H. Thomson Expressway, two massive and intrusive highway projects. But by the middle of the decade, the ill effects of the destruction wrought by I-5 had become clear to the citizens.
When it became known that the city’s plans for the Expressway called for a similar rendering of the historically African-American and low-income Central District, the public mobilized in revolt.
✦ Challenge
This project was for the documentary film Ramps to Nowhere, which was under the direction of Professor Martin. My aptitude for storytelling, exhibited during one of her classes, had caught her attention, prompting her to invite me to contribute to the project, an opportunity I enthusiastically seized.
As we got to know each other better at work, she learned that I'd been taking classes on Geographic Information Systems and knew quite a bit about making maps. Intrigued by this, she asked if I could develop a digital repository of all the proposed but ultimately cancelled highways in Seattle, which were stopped due to public activism.
There were numerous hurdles that I had to navigate through the course of this project, such as:
Conducting in-depth research to discover maps that illustrated the proposed freeways by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDT) between 1950 and 1960.
Investigating individuals who were informed about the issue and actively participated in the initiative.
Searching for the right maps while also determining if they already exist in digital format or if any digital geographical data is available to allow for the creation of a digital map on my own.
Consolidating data to develop an interactive web-based map that visualizes the subsequently abandoned freeways.
The following is a fraction of the work that I did during my time on this project.
✦ Research Process
I researched map archives from the WSDT, Puget Sound Regional Council, King County Maps and Record, Seattle public library, and the UW Library.
I conducted a competitive analysis of the best tools for creating an interactive map on a low budget.
I researched and tracked down former politicians and activists.
I conducted field Interviews with former activists and WSDT personnel.
I collected qualitative data based on oral interviews that I gathered.
I collected and combined quantitative data (KML & KMZ files) from WSDT, Google, and Esri databases to create the new interactive map.
✦ Research Archives
Flash Maps.mov
Proposed R.H. Thomson Interchange at
Evergreen Point Bridge 2
Photoshop by: Saam Ejlali
✦ Interview Examples
Don Gibbs Skype Intvw-1.pdfScroll on the document to see more.
Click on the top right corner to expand the document.
Saam’s Transcript.pdfScroll on the document to see more.
Click on the top right corner to expand the document.
✦ Data Collection / Organization
1963-1967-1974-Seattle-area-freeway-plans-mostly-cancelled-.pdfClick on the top right corner to expand the document.
Click on the + & - to zoom in and out.
✦ Final Result
A repository of all the proposed but ultimately cancelled highways in Seattle.
Click on the highlighted highways to get more information about that particular highway.
Click the top left corner for the list view.
Click on the top right corner [rectangle icon] to expand the map.
Click on the + & - to zoom in and out.
Notes:
Cancelled freeway plans are roughly equivalent to the 1967 Puget Sound Council of Governments (PSCOG) adopted the 1990 transportation plan of freeways and expressways.
A few roads are thrown in from the 1963/1967 King County streets and highways plans, and the 1974 version of the PSCOG plan.
Also, marked are a few segments not recognized by Google Maps as controlled-access facilities. Alignments are approximate, although the 1967 King County plan provided detailed street-level plans. It's hard to tell which side of the road they went on (or which road they replaced).
Where possible, interchange locations are shown with pins. For proposed roads without them, I'm not going to guess.
