UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, COLLEGE OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
A Critical Study and
Analysis of the Roosevelt
Neighborhood
CEP 303: Social Structures and Processes
Professor Marty Curry
Bryce Anderson, Allie Andrade, Rohan Aras, Mihai Baltatescu, Kurt Blomdahl, Stephanie Brune, Ryan
Cook, Ina Dash, Rahul Devanarayanan, Rachel Edlund, Stefanie Gonzalez, Wyatt Hoffman, Halie Kim,
Olivia Schronce, Monica Song, Iven Wu, Elaine Xie
Spring 2015
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
Introduction:
Throughout this Spring quarter, CEP students performed careful social observation,
mapping of the Lynch, mental, and asset variety, and multiple walks around various blocks to
discover a variety of neighborhood assets, areas for improvement, and unique characteristics of
the Roosevelt neighborhood. In their field research, they discovered that the Roosevelt
neighborhood has many unique characteristics that make it a vibrant place to work and live. A
strong commercial district spans the core of the neighborhood and a variety of residential units
(apartments and single-family homes) are available for a diverse population. Roosevelt, they
quickly learned, is a neighborhood in transition; many new people are projected to visit and
move to the area once the light rail station construction is finished and surrounding business
development and investment reflect this population influx. Because of this transition, the
changing scope of the neighborhood presents great opportunities to further develop an already
strong community and a livelier Roosevelt that will attract many new visitors and residents to the
area.
This report reviews the methodology used by students to conduct research and provides
summaries and analysis of students’ findings. It then gives recommendations, developed based
on the critical analysis of the area, to strengthen the neighborhood’s identity and character as a
place where families and visitors can gather to interact, shop, and enjoy all the assets the
neighborhood has to offer. Finally, this report reviews overall student takeaways from the
process of conducting and analyzing field research in the neighborhood as a first time experience
and practice of neighborhood planning. The report aims to provide a new perspective of the
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
neighborhood-- how non-resident visitors perceive different areas identifying both positive
aspects and areas that may benefit from improvements-- with the goal of strengthening the
neighborhood as a commercial center, residential area, and community driven entity.
Descriptions of Field Tasks:
1. Walk around the Block: Students were assigned a block to study and observe in detail.
Students took descriptive notes and photographs of the blocks’ characteristics noting the
qualities of buildings, landscaping, and presence or absence of people. They were then
grouped together into teams based on block location to develop a summary of the cluster
of blocks to analyze similarities, differences, and patterns that revealed larger
implications for the neighborhood. These findings were presented in a written report form
and a five minute presentation in class.
2. Mapping Roosevelt
a. Mental mapping is a form of neighborhood mapping that emphasizes how
individuals within a community experience and perceive their neighborhood. This
was accomplished by sending groups of students to Roosevelt to interview people
on the street and in businesses, asking them to draw a map or image of the
neighborhood. The resulting maps were analyzed to determine commonalities
between community members, and helped in identifying important, meaningful
places in the neighborhood. They also gave the map drawers a stake in their
neighborhood, allowing them to voice concerns and ideas about the quality of the
areas in interviews after they drew their maps. Each group then presented their
findings and maps to the class.
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
b. Lynch mapping is a form of mapping that focuses on how an area’s spatiality. It
also identifies high-use areas within the neighborhood. As a class, we divided into
groups and examined areas to map Roosevelt’s major paths, districts, nodes,
edges, and landmarks. These elements were identified by Kevin Lynch as being
essential to the image of the city, or in this case, neighborhood. Paths are
generally linear, well-travelled corridors (such as 65th or Roosevelt Way) through
an area. Districts are distinct areas within the neighborhood, such as residential
districts, the Sisley properties, and the business district that runs down Roosevelt
Way. Nodes are areas where major paths intersect, or where people can gather-they indicate active areas in the neighborhood. Edges separate the neighborhood
from the surrounding area, for example I-5 is a hard edge that marks a boundary
in Roosevelt. Finally, landmarks are important features within the neighborhood
that help with wayfinding. They are often used by community members to give
directions to visitors, and they add character to the neighborhood. Each Lynch
mapping group presented their maps and findings to the class as a whole.
c. Asset mapping is a non-traditional form of mapping that identifies non-physical
features that contribute to the neighborhood’s function. It attempts to list and
spatially situate institutional businesses, neighborhood organizations, individual
talents and skills and stakeholders on a map within the neighborhood. This
approach is important to identifying the systems of support that are available
within a neighborhood. Asset mapping groups presented the assets they identified
in the neighborhood to the class.
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
Social Observation: Students were divided into groups and were assigned social
observation locations based off the results of the Lynch mapping exercise. Students then created
different research studies formulating hypotheses and identifying variables to support the
research. Examples of variables included, but were not limited to: the number of people walking
by, demographics, the number of people on bikes, where people were sitting, whether they
interacted or not, mobile device usage etc. Once students devised a research hypothesis and
methodology, they visited their respective locations in Roosevelt and measured these variables
over the course of a few hours. Each group then created a written report, as well as a presentation
analyzing the implications of our findings.
Summary of findings and Analysis:
Prior to beginning their field research, students had the impression that the neighborhood
consisted of primarily single-family residential homes and middle class residents; however, field
observations revealed a typical urban village with the mixture of family housing and commercial
corridor. This is a district with an already highly commercialized center and comparatively
marginalized peripheries; because of this feature, more people use Roosevelt as a commercial
pathway than as a destination-- consumers typically visit Whole Foods, mostly by car, then leave
promptly when they finish shopping instead of spending more time browsing the other retail
stores nearby.
Upon initial trips to the Roosevelt neighborhood for the first field research project, it was
clear that the area is undergoing a drastic change. The light rail construction depicts this
transition most prominently in the neighborhood.by potentially creating a need to densify the
residential and commercial areas to accommodate the influx of more people traveling on the light
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
rail. High-raise apartments under construction and investments in new businesses indicate that
much effort to revamp this central business corridor to attract new investors and visitors to the
neighborhood.
In contrast to the new development between 12th Avenue and 9th avenue, the
neighborhood’s periphery on 8th and 15th Avenues reveals underutilized property lots and rundown, abandoned buildings. Stores on this rim (Pizza Hut and Espresso Express) see less or no
consumer traffic than shops and restaurants closer to Roosevelt Way, indicating potential for
further neighborhood development if the pattern of growth in the central corridor continues. The
new construction is also affecting the neighborhood’s overall appearance and its land value. With
the existing house prices, Roosevelt already has low population diversity. As the land value
leverages, we suspect this demographic composition will become steadier.
This investment in development also demonstrates the Roosevelt Neighborhood
Association’s role in promoting the business district. RNA has a strong presence as a volunteer
governance structure in the community. Many residents and business owners volunteer to serve
on RNA boards and committees and people are, altogether, very passionate about creating a
community that has a unique identity. Students learned from RNA representatives that the power
of community organizing in the RNA helped the neighborhood shift the light rail station into the
center of the neighborhood instead of along I-5 is evident in this neighborhood. Residents and
volunteers in the RNA seem to truly care about how their community changes to accommodate
the needs and desires of the residents and they are intentional about considering the implications
of their actions of the rest of the community.
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
Hypotheses were made at the beginning of the mapping research that Whole Foods,
Roosevelt High School, and Cowen Park would function as landmarks and nodes, but also, that
they would retain a large flow of people. The researching groups recorded the net flow of people
coming in and out of the store, and the seating area. Through mapping methods it was found that
the Whole Foods Market, Roosevelt High School, and Froula and Cowen parks act as the
primary landmarks in Roosevelt neighborhood; however, the assumptions about high retention
rates of these areas were false. Whole Foods, in particular, has a high volume, but low retention
rate as both a node and a landmark.
Roosevelt High School has a high pedestrian volume around two o’clock in the afternoon
when students get out of school. Interestingly, students of Roosevelt High School frequented
Upper Roosevelt Square during the weekday lunch hour, utilizing the majority of the seating
available and temporarily turned the area into an active public gathering space. This observation
indicates that, while the school acts as a landmark, not all social activity outside of class takes
place on school grounds as we suspected when determining the school as a node. Furthermore, it
suggests that Upper Roosevelt Square has potential for becoming a popular gathering space for
students and other individuals.
Similar to the stores on the Roosevelt Way, parks are not the final destination for most
people, despite being great community green spaces with active-use components like a
playground and a swing set. Because of this, the open space in the parks is underutilized and the
theme of the neighborhood acting as a throughway continues throughout the neighborhood.
Roosevelt’s business district is a great asset to the neighborhood and provides a public
arena for the community to come together. Mental mapping results showed that people valued
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
the retail areas, embraced the diversity of small shops and considered them to be a part of
Roosevelt’s identity. The district showcases some of Roosevelt’s other assets: craftsmanship,
small business ownership etc.
The neighborhood's history and identity is important to the residents and therefore is
worth preserving. Though visitors also valued the retail, restaurants and sense of neighborhood
community, it is important to note that residents and non-residents envisioned the neighborhood
differently and that there is a range socioeconomic statuses and experiences among residents
whose needs, concerns and views should be considered in any planning discussions.
The Roosevelt neighborhood, overall, is a safe and attractive place for families.
Roosevelt High School’s high educational credentials, in particular, attract parents to the area
and the proximity of residential blocks to business hubs is convenient and relatively accessible
for residents by foot, or bike.
While the nodes and landmarks are known to residents and visitors, they do not always
act as high-retention gathering spaces and pedestrian traffic is sometimes low. At many times of
the day, cars occupy more public space than pedestrians in the Roosevelt Square area.
Additionally, it was noticed that in cases of decent pedestrian traffic social interactions were very
rare between strangers. Some locations with low levels of social interaction include the area
around Ten Thousand Villages, bus stops around the 65th and 15th intersection and Upper
Roosevelt Square. Interactions were less common in poorer weather conditions. More
stimulating and weather friendly infrastructure may encourage more interaction for shoppers and
rain-dodgers.
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
The space outside of Ten Thousand Villages and the wide alleyways dividing the blocks
that are half residential and half commercial may be utilized more as gathering spaces in addition
to Upper Roosevelt Square. The Ten Thousand Villages space has a lot of potential because of
its prime location next to the Whole Foods block. Surveying found that residents and those who
work in Roosevelt have interest in activating alleyways, turning them into well-lit and safe
community gathering spaces. It may be that there is an overall desire for there to be more casual
hang-out spots around Roosevelt.
Sidewalks are present in the almost all of the places visited, but some residents found
them to be narrow on Roosevelt Way debilitating the pedestrian flow through the area. They
were considered to be comfortable enough for one person to pass through and were made
narrower by existing bike racks. A few people found some uneven pavement difficult to walk or
bike through. Observations showed that there was limited public seating, or seating-friendly
ledges along Roosevelt Way. Enhancing the life of the sidewalk along with other spaces can
increase pedestrian flow, encourage other transportation methods, increase retention, thus
creating a more safe and environment for all.
Recommendations:
Following extensive observation, research, and analysis of the Roosevelt neighborhood,
several suggestions have been identified to improve upon some of the weaknesses in the design
and sociability of the area. The main theme in these suggestions to improve the neighborhood
revolves around the creation of more and better utilized public space. This will help transition the
Roosevelt neighborhood from a throughway to a place of destination.

Open Public Space:
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
The main recommendation students suggest is to provide more public open space
in the area. The high automobile traffic and privatization of public space with retail shops
and restaurants leaves limited room for residents and visitors to gather in public areas that
do not require them to spend money to use the space. Therefore, people generally do not
spend much time lingering the area for socializing purposes. To encourage socializing
and leisure activities in the area, we recommend the addition of parklets, or open green
space that provides free public seating and areas for groups to gather without
expectations of spending money.

Public Art:
Art displays would be beneficial for several reasons. Roosevelt could develop a
stronger neighborhood identity that promotes community and public gathering and
socializing through the integration of public art exhibitions. Art brings people together as
a point of triangulation--that would be its primary function in the public space. We
recommend adding at least one large display piece near the Weedin Place space where
the park is suggested. This would make the space inviting to all people, especially those
who are just passing through, as we have observed that Roosevelt and NE 65th is
primarily a transient space. Public art can help people feel comfortable and safe in the
area and encourage them to stay and enjoy local amenities. Added benefits include
enhanced visual aesthetics of the street and potential historical reinforcement of the
Teddy Roosevelt identity of the neighborhood. Color and spirit in the neighborhood may
encourage people to explore, especially if there is a series of art pieces dispersed
throughout the area. We suggest having local artists take part in the creation of this
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
project and have the community involved as much as possible in determining what pieces
they would like to see, and even having interactive art that the community can help create
like a legal graffiti wall or mural.

Public Seating:
Roosevelt has the tendency to be a throughway rather than a destination. Not only
does the area need more public seating, it also needs more effective seating. The
neighborhood needs to provide inviting spaces that encourage people to ‘stay a while.’
Seating outside of businesses and restaurants can improve the volume of customers
because people are drawn to other people. For restaurants in particular, capacity may
increase and they become more welcoming places. Additionally, the barriers between the
sidewalk and the buildings becomes more visually appealing when people can watch
other people eating, smell the food from the sidewalk, and window shop in front of
stores.
Many of the bus stops in the neighborhood also lack seating and shelter, which
inconveniences people while they wait for their bus and prompts them to only show up
right as their bus arrives instead of lingering in the area to get coffee or a snack in the
meantime. Suggested locations for improved public seating include areas around
Roosevelt Square, Cowen Park, and the incoming Light Rail station. Additionally, a more
inviting configuration in the Ten Thousand Villages courtyard may encourage use of that
excellent outdoor space.

Signage and Wayfinding
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
In order to make the retail spaces and public plazas more appealing, students
suggest revamping Roosevelt’s signage. For example, the sign for Roosevelt Square is
outdated, unappealing, and is located parallel and flush to a blank retainer wall that
separates the businesses from the sidewalk. This makes the retail area almost invisible to
the pedestrians who do not already know the upper square exists.
Additionally, students advocate for more wayfinding signs to direct people to
specific points of interest in the neighborhood. This could increase business prosperity
and make navigating easier for both pedestrians and drivers. Another feasible simple
technique would be to add more painted “moose tracks” throughout Roosevelt’s
sidewalks. This would be consistent with the neighborhood identity. Perhaps these would
be useful if they also led to a public open space to encourage use such as the proposed
Weedin Place Park.

Community Gathering Space
Several conversations with community members have indicated that a community
center would be beneficial to Roosevelt. This space could serve as a venue for
community events and meetings for the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association. It could
also serve the youth and elderly community members by providing resources, play
spaces, recreational facilities, and programming. While this suggestion for a community
center requires much planning, funding, and visioning, and the Ravenna Bryant and
Greenlake centers are close enough for Roosevelt members to benefit, such a facility
could be beneficial in anchoring the neighborhood to a central building where community
members and visitors can gather and interact.
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University of Washington, College of Built Environments
Community, Environment and Planning
Social Structures and Processes 303, Spring 2015
Professor Marty Curry
 Activating Alleys
Repurposing and activating the underutilized alley ways could potentially enliven
the public spaces in the neighborhood. For example, there are two alleys in between 62nd
and 64th streets, parallel to 9th Ave and Roosevelt Way. Public art and low key
programming in these spaces in the form of murals, sculptures, music performers and
legal graffiti walls could enhance the visual appeal of the space, drawing people to gather
in the alleys, coffee shops, and local retailers surrounding them. Using alleys for public
gathering space would also make them friendlier and more enjoyable. More people using
the space would elicit a safer neighborhood atmosphere for pedestrian and lingerers in the
spaces.
Conclusion:
Through this field research experience in Roosevelt, CEP students learned how to
critically analyze areas of the neighborhood through mapping, social observation, and walks
around the block. Most students who had been to the neighborhood before this class developed
new opinions about the commercial and residential districts and learned to recognize
implications of the changing development on residents, business owners, and visitors. Students
enjoyed getting to speak with residents, RNA members and business owners, who were able to
positively influence how they conducted their research studies and areas of focus and they hope
that this document may provide a new perspective on the neighborhood to aid in further
development projects in the future.