[ seagulls cawing ]
♪♪​
-Pioneer Square is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods.
It's a historic district.
♪♪​
The history of Seattle is in many ways rooted here
in this neighborhood in the heart of downtown.
♪♪​
The waterfront program has been making improvements
in Pioneer Square to reconnect Pioneer Square to its waterfront,
along with the rest of the waterfront park.
Pedestrian improvements for people walking and rolling
through this neighborhood on various east-west streets.
So we're standing here on South Washington Street
and we're looking at the newly created landscaping areas
that were made possible by this narrowing of the road.
We created room for plants and more and places
for people to walk.
We've also got these timber
salvage pilings.
This is reminiscent
of our 19th-century historic waterfront.
All the piers,
all the timber structures,
railroad trestles that were built in our waterfront —
and they're charred with a
Shou Sugi Ban charring to represent the Great Seattle Fire.
So we're trying to both educate,
remind people of the Indigenous history,
and in particular
those relationships with plants and the water.
[ gentle wave ]
Here we are walking on Habitat Beach,
which was built by the Waterfront Program
and opened in 2023
and lets people interact with the water
and get a little taste of the waterfront.
But it also serves a really important
marine function for habitat along our shoreline.
The original shoreline came way into Pioneer Square,
and this was an intertidal area.
So both here on Washington Street and a block down on
Main Street,
we have this alley paving intended to represent that
historic shoreline and how far it came inland.
So here
we're on the on the border between Occidental Park
and South Main Street and the at grade crossing.
We created between the park and the mall.
So as people walk across Main Street
here, there isn't a curb.
The street’s at the same level as the park.
Lane is very narrow,
making this a really comfortable crossing.
It feels good to gather here.
[ distance crowd cheering ]
Seattle is hosting the World Cup in 2026,
and I think everybody down here is excited.
The railroad way plaza are these grand public plazas
that really connect both Pioneer Square
and the Waterfront to our Stadium District.
And I think there going
to be great places for people to enjoy
and have team spirit.
♪♪
We're really thankful to be able
to deliver these improvements on this project.
Through the city,
we're into creating public spaces for anyone to enjoy.
Our charge is to create these great places
and the ability for all these things to thrive.
And I think we've done that.
♪♪​
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