Welcome to Ideas For Seattle. Here you can contribute your ideas for the future of our city. You can also vote on existing ideas submitted by your fellow citizens.
To get started, simply choose a category from the list on the right. Then search to see if your idea has already been submitted. If it hasn't, you can then submit it for others to discuss or vote on.
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487 votes
Stop the sweeps and give Nickelsville a permanent home on public land.
Sweeps of homeless encampments are inhumane. They target people who are homeless rather than the economic cause of homelessness: too little affordable housing and cuts to social services. They're expensive--according to the Seattle Weekly, one city sweep cost as much as running an emergency shelt... more
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477 votes
bring an anchor tenant back to key arena
the health of key arena is very important to me. that said, if we can find a fair, fiscally responsible deal that is not overwhelmingly on the backs of taxpayers to renovate key arena and bring an anchor tenant like an NBA team back to seattle center., we should consider it. working with the new ... more
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344 votes
Foot/Bike Patrols for SE Seattle
Foot and bike patrols for Southeast Seattle. Friday, Saturday and Sunday during peak criminal activity hours on Rainier Ave S, between S Alaska and S Orcas. If that goes well, maybe shuffle patrols around as criminal activity shuffles around.
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332 votes
City-funded public farmer's markets
The City has operated a public farmer's market in Pike Place since 1907, but since then a multitude of privately organized farmer's markets have sprung up throughout Seattle's neighborhoods. These markets are often voluntary organizations, depending on available parking lots to exist, and are on... more
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319 votes
SIDEWALKS SIDEWALKS SIDEWALKS !
Get our neighborhoods outfitted with Sidewalks for walking routes. You obviously can sidewalk everywhere, but have steady, gradual improvements with new major walking routes identified by groups like FEET FIRST set up with sidewalks every year. Quadruple the funding for this.
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304 votes
Work With Local Arts' Organizations To Create Participatory Art
Please work with local artist organizations which promote participatory art (not just art that people go look at, sigh and walk away). Examples:, green spaces with art that people can touch, climb on, etc.; temporary art that people can write on.
The city can reach out to schools as well as org... more
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294 votes
Create hundreds of jobs: Build more sidewalks and a network of grade-separated bicycle paths
Build a network of sidewalks and grade separated bicycling paths/lanes. Cascade Bike and Feet First along with the City of Seattle (& many other non-profits) should already have master plans for this.
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268 votes
Clean-up Chinatown/International District
I love going down to the "ID", which is really comprised of Chinatown, Little Saigon and Japantown. Seattle has one of the best and largest Chinatown's in the US. Most other ones in the US are going downhill quickly.
Our ID celebrates our very diverse Asian culture here in the US. T... more
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262 votes
Remove Enforcement Cameras at Intersections
Current cameras are installed for revenue gathering purposes only. Not safety. Middle class taxpayers, paying to have them installed are the main targets/victims...with these camera's, we taxpayers are basically hurting ourselves. Camera's placed in high crime areas and parks would be more use... more
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249 votes
Implement the Seattle Broadband Initiative to bring affordable broadband to all Seattle residents
The City has a solid business plan for a municipal fiber-optic network on the table. http://www.seattle.gov/broadband/ The next mayor should accelerate the process of bringing it to fruition.
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245 votes
Build new streetcars and restore the Waterfront Streetcar
Streetcars always get at least 50% higher ridership than buses along the same route, spur sustainable development, increase transit capacity, have very little operating cost (and can even be profitable) and are better for the environment. And the Waterfront Streetcar was a great tourist attractio... more
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241 votes
311 centralized calling center with CRM to manage all citizen/city contacts
NYC has something similar to this, but if all call centers were routed through the same CRM or "Citizen Relationship Management", then we could reduce redundant infrastructure and have more efficient and responsive dialogue with citizens.
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239 votes
Remove parking mandates from building codes
This is a very draconian measure. Our zoning and building codes need a complete overhaul in general, but the mandatory 1-for-1 ratio between units and parking spaces for development in Seattle is a major cause of the lack of affordable housing in Seattle. This is due to the $40K-$70k/space cost t... more
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229 votes
Retrofit public/private buildings for energy efficiency
Energy efficient facilities mean reduced long-term cost to the city. By better insulating buildings against heat loss, buildings use less energy, therefore the city pays less for the power it uses. By generating electricity through renewable means, assuming power generation is friendly to the lan... more
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213 votes
Seattle Center needs Center Park!
Let's knock down the Fun Forest pavilion, take up the asphalt, and create a 4.6-acre urban green in that public space, plus the adjoining park already to the west. Moreover, Seattle Center’s own Master Plan, unanimously adopted by the City Council after a two-year planning effort, calls for green... more
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209 votes
Eliminate All Parking Requirements
Completely rid the city of any parking requirements. We should not be encouraging driving. Also, charge market rate for all city parking. No parking should be free, ever. We should not be subsidizing such a negative action (driving).
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203 votes
Create a Pedestrian friendly zone throughout downtown
Drive business development, expand the reach of tourism, encourage healthy living with walking and evening strolls. Connect the major attractions in the core of downtown with residential areas much like European communities for pedestrians. Encourage people to be outdoors interacting in the cor... more
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194 votes
make internet a public utility.
comcast broadstripe/millineum, quest, clearwire all have major issues, and huge prices. reclaim the internet as a public service utility, upgrade it, and make available to all at consistent prices.