Re-Imagining The Railroad Road Avenue Corridor
Research Mentor(s)
Tammi Laninga
Description
Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham is an auto-centric street anchored on the south end by Depot Market Square and the Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) station on the north. Since Fall 2022, students in Western Washington University's senior Urban Transitions Planning studio have been re-imagining the corridor. Why now? WTA is planning to expand the bus station, the City of Bellingham is updating its pedestrian and bicycle master plan and the corridor could serve as an important link between the South Bay Trail with the North Whatcom Trail, there are several vacant and underutilized lots scattered throughout the corridor that could address the affordable housing crisis in Bellingham. Informed by public surveys and downtown planning documents, students have conceptualized what this corridor could look like with more bicycle and pedestrian paths, affordable housing, pop-up businesses, parks, raingardens, solar panels, and more.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
May 2022
End Date
May 2022
Location
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Department
CE - Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Re-Imagining The Railroad Road Avenue Corridor
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham is an auto-centric street anchored on the south end by Depot Market Square and the Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) station on the north. Since Fall 2022, students in Western Washington University's senior Urban Transitions Planning studio have been re-imagining the corridor. Why now? WTA is planning to expand the bus station, the City of Bellingham is updating its pedestrian and bicycle master plan and the corridor could serve as an important link between the South Bay Trail with the North Whatcom Trail, there are several vacant and underutilized lots scattered throughout the corridor that could address the affordable housing crisis in Bellingham. Informed by public surveys and downtown planning documents, students have conceptualized what this corridor could look like with more bicycle and pedestrian paths, affordable housing, pop-up businesses, parks, raingardens, solar panels, and more.