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Links & Media

* Seattle Channel's City Stream: Seattle Stairways (2016) 

* KPLU 88.1 "Tourist in Your Own Town" - Mount Baker Stairway Walk (2013)

* KING 5 Evening Magazine - Discover the Secret Stairways of Seattle (2013)

* KUOW News - The Hidden Legacy of Seattle Stairways (2013)

* AAA Journey - Last Stop: Stair Attraction (2012)

* Seattle Times - Guidebook Authors Show Ups and Downs. . . (2012)

Feet First - Seattle Walkability Advocates

* Sound Steps - Great Walking Groups for Over-50s!

* WalkOn inBellWa! - Walking Routes in Bellevue's Parks and Neighborhoods

Inventory of Seattle Stairs of 100 Steps or More website by Doug Beyerlein

* All Stairs Seattle Guide website by Susan Ott & Dave Ralph

* Year of Walking Seattle's Parks blog by Linnea Westerlind

*KOMO News - Year of Mapping Seattle's Stairs (2011)

*Seattle Times -  Queen Anne Stairways Map (2009)

* Washington Trails Association Magazine -  Urban Hiking (2007)

* Seattle Times - Seattle Stairways: Taking Time to Learn More About the City (2003)

* Seattle Weekly - Stairway Weekend (1999)

The Mountaineers as well as our publisher, Mountaineers Books

Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods 

by Jake & Cathy Jaramillo

* The only guidebook to stairway walks in Seattle
* Explore Seattle neighborhoods in a new way with these interesting walks in Seattle
* Written for people of all ages who want to get outside, exercise, and explore
*Learn more --> 


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Entries in peril (1)

Wednesday
Sep252013

Seattle's Stairways in Peril

 

Seattle's stairways are a legacy from last century that we're so lucky to still have around. Connecting to school, a park or a transit stop often involves taking a stairway or two. Stairs are a great place to take a stroll and chat with the neighbors. They're an excellent workout venue (search this site for "workout"). And, for those of us who love to explore our city on foot, stairways are ideal neighborhood scenic byways. In all these ways, stairways are integral to Seattle's outstanding walkability.

But there's a problem: the city has very little money for stairway upkeep and rehabilitation, not to mention building new stairs and pathways. Roughly 40% of the current small budget for maintaining and rehabbing our stairways - maybe a million bucks - comes from the Bridging the Gap levy, which is set to expire after 2015.

If we don't put realistic resources into maintaining our stairway network, they'll slowly deteriorate, as seen above. A stairway like this is not an everyday pedestrian connection, and city planners may consider it expendable, especially in times of financial triage. But it is equally a part of our precious stairway legacy, a hidden treasure that lends walkable flair to a particular neighborhood and makes our city a very special place to live. We have 84 major stairways with more than 100 steps in Seattle, and as many as 650 publicly accessible stairways overall. We are the lucky possessors of a stairway network that is desperately in need of care and preservation.

Check out the slideshow below for more views of the state of stairways. And stay tuned for more info on a planned Seattle Stairway Spring Cleaning Day, a citywide event next April to put a spotlight on our stairs.