Healthy Streets

Updated May 22, 2023

What's happening now?

Play on Your Healthy Street! Across Seattle neighborhoods have embraced their Healthy Streets. One of the many reason is Healthy Streets are closed to pass through traffic, meaning you don't need a permit to host a Play Street. Many neighbors have taken advantage of the No Permit Required status of Healthy Streets to easily host their own events like community dinners, neighborhood gatherings, and Play Streets. We want to continue to celebrate and support neighbors that want to have fun on their Healthy Streets by providing free Healthy Street kits. The Healthy Street kits include updated signage and stringers that are required to be posted on each end of the block. We also have a limited quantity of fun giveaways that we can include in the kit for kids and adults to play with on the street. If you are interested, you can sign-up here and we will be in contact to coordinate sending you a Play on Your Healthy Street kit. Please continue to scroll down for more information. 

Healthy Street Status:We introduced Healthy Streets during the pandemic in 2020 as a way for Seattleites to get outside safely and stay active in local neighborhoods throughout the city. Healthy Streets are open for people walking, rolling, biking, and playing, and closed to pass-through traffic.

We updated our Healthy Streets across Seattle based on the trends we’ve seen in terms of community use and public feedback. Next, we will:

  • Make some locations permanent Healthy Streets
  • Return some locations to neighborhood greenways, which they were prior to the pandemic
  • Further review some Healthy Streets and conduct more outreach to determine next steps. These locations will remain Healthy Streets until further notice.

At each location, there may be a combination of permanent Healthy Streets, neighborhood greenways, and/or areas for further review and outreach. Below is a map that shows the plan for Healthy Streets locations moving forward. If you’d like to provide feedback on a current Healthy Street location, please fill out this form. You can also click on the Healthy Street neighborhood project pages listed below to get more information on that location.

Outreach and Community Engagement: Thank you to everyone that stopped by our Bike Everywhere Stations across the City and provided us your thoughts on the Healthy Street. If you didn't make it, you can still your feedback by going here. 

Central District Healthy Street

Image of our Central Distirct Healthy Street outreach event for Bike Everywhere Day. Credit: SDOT

Program Overview

What are Healthy Streets?

Healthy Streets are closed to pass through traffic, but open to people walking, rolling, biking, and playing. The goal of this program is to open up more space for people rather than cars—improving community and individual health.

Healthy Streets can include:

  • Traffic safety features like easier crossings at busy streets, speed humps to slow down drivers, and sign and pavement markings to help people find their way
  • Neighborhood activities like hopscotch and basketball (that you would otherwise need to get a street closure permit for)
  • Intersections with traffic circles and street murals to discourage people from driving on Healthy Streets unless they have to

    Two people on bikes pass through a Healthy Streets intersection with permanent planters and signs  

    Pictured: Greenwood permanent Healthy Street (left) | Mural art by Romel Belleza on Little Brook's Healthy Street (right)

    What does this mean for drivers?

    • People driving who need to get to homes and destinations along Healthy Streets are still able to drive on these streets; drivers should use extra caution and yield to people
    • People enjoying the street should be mindful of drivers trying to get to homes and destinations as well

    Check out our Frequently Asked Questions and PowerPoint videos for more info: English • Español • አማርኛ • Tiếng việt • af-Soomaali • 한국어 • 简体中文 •  繁体字 • Tagalog • ትግርኛ

    Healthy Street locations: 

    A graphic map showing the locations of the existing Healthy Streets listed below

    Healthy Streets next to schools

    We're supporting schools by offering to close the block outside the school entrance to vehicles and open it for a more-socially distanced drop-off/pick up. Check out our School Streets page for more. Some schools are on or near Healthy Streets. Here are maps and details on how to use the Healthy Street when getting kids to and from school:

    Aki Kurose - Cascadia - Cedar - Concord - Dunlap - Garfield - Greenwood - Hamilton - Highland - John Muir - Lincoln - Maple - MLK - Nova - Olympic Hills - Robert Eagle Staff - Sanislo - West Seattle Elementary 

    Healthy Streets Planters

    For permanent Healthy Street locations, we can install planters at Healthy Street intersections (see diagram below). Healthy Street planters will need to be watered and maintained by neighbors, and you can find helpful tips and information for maintaining your planter here. If you do not live directly at the corner where a Healthy Street Planter can be placed, you can work with your neighbors to create a Partnership for a Healthy Street Planter.

    If you are interested in requesting and taking care of a planter at your Healthy Street, please fill out this form. 

    You will also need to sign and submit a Landscape Maintenance Agreement. You can submit your signed agreement by either emailing us a scanned copy or an image of the aggrement.

    A graphic diagram showing the potential location of Healthy Street planters at the intersection of a Healthy Street and a non-Healthy Street.

    Play On Your Healthy Street

    Across Seattle neighborhoods have embraced their Healthy Streets. One of the many reason is Healthy Streets are closed to pass through traffic, meaning you don't need a permit to host a Play Street. Many neighbors have taken advantage of the No Permit Required status of Healthy Streets to easily host their own events like community dinners, neighborhood gatherings, and Play Streets. We want to continue to celebrate and support neighbors that want to have fun on their Healthy Streets by providing free Healthy Street kits. The Healthy Street kits include updated signage and stringers that are required to be posted on each end of the block. We also have a limited quantity of fun giveaways that we can include in the kit for kids and adults to play with on the street.

    If you are interested, you can sign-up here and we will be in contact to coordinate sending you a Play on Your Healthy Street kit.

    Please feel free to share your fun pictures by tagging us on social media #PlayOnYourHealthyStreet

    If you don't live on a Healthy Street but are still interested in hosting a Play Street, you can get more information and request a free permit by clicking here.

    In hosting a Play on Your Healthy Street event please be aware that:

    • No more than 3 days per week, adding up to no more than 12 hours per week
    • Free and open to the general public
    • Planned to occur between 9:00 AM - and dusk (or until 9:00 PM if dusk is later than that), including setup/cleanup

    Play on your Healthy Street Sign:

    Play on Your Healthy Street

    Someone takes a photo over the handlebars of their bike, capturing two riders ahead of them on an Healthy Street
    Our family loves the 25th Ave Healthy Street. I've been surprised by how much it's impacted our neighborhood's quality of life. What has been a wonderful, unexpected aspect is seeing how the whole neighborhood uses the space. — M. Mainland, Central District

    Background

    In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in spring and summer of 2020 we upgraded over 25 miles of Neighborhood Greenways to Healthy Streets by closing them to pass through traffic and opening them to people walking, rolling, and biking.

    Outreach and Engagement

    Starting in 2020, we talked to people and distributed surveys to understand how Healthy Streets are working today, and what people would prefer for Healthy Streets in their neighborhood moving forward. We observed and reviewed each Healthy Street with this input in mind to help inform our decision-making.  

    We've heard concerns from BIPOC communities around how enforcement will be handled, maintaining established cultural practices, and reports of racism directed toward BIPOC people traveling the routes. If we truly want to rebuild to better than before, then "we" must include everybody. This has led to neighborhood-focused outreach and partnerships with Community Based Organizations.  

    Across Seattle neighborhoods have embraced their Healthy Streets. Many neighbors have taken advantage of the No Permit Required status of Healthy Streets to host their own events like community dinners and Play Streets. 

    We have also seen larger community activations such as the Columbia City Night Market and the Lucha Libre event at the Little Brook Plaza.

    In fall of 2022, we are updating our Healthy Streets across Seattle based on the trends we’ve seen in terms of community use and public feedback. 

    A photo of the Little Brook community gathered at tables for the Lucha Libre event hosted on their Healthy Street  A child in a handmade Lucha Libre mask does arts and crafts at Little Brook's Healthy Street community event

    Pictured: the Lucha Libre community event hosted on the Little Brook Healthy Street.

    Translation and Interpretation 

    If you need this information translated, please call (206) 771-0481. 
     
    如果您需要此信息翻譯成中文 請致電 (206) 771-0481. 
     
    Kung kailangan mo ang impormasyon na ito na nakasalin sa Tagalog mangyari lamang na tumawag sa (206) 771-0481.

    Si necesita traducir esta información al español, llame al (206) 771-0481.

    Odeeffannoon kun akka siif (206) 771-0481.

    Nếu quý vị cần thông tin này chuyển ngữ sang tiếng Việt xin gọi (206) 771-0481.

    የዚህን መረጃ ትርጉም ከፈለጉ፣ በዚህ ስልክ ቁጥር ይደውሉ፡ (206) 771-0481.

    ናይዚ ሓበሬታ ትርጉም እንተደሊኹም፣ በዚ ቁጽሪ ስልኪ ይድውሉ፡ (206) 771-0481.

    당신이 번역이 정보를 필요로하는 경우에, (206) 771-0481 ? 전화 해주십시오. 

    Program Library

    Click on a PDF below to read 2021/2022 evaluations of Healthy Street locations:

    Current Healthy Streets survey:

    Previous Survey Results:

    Transportation

    Greg Spotts, Director
    Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104
    Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996
    Phone: (206) 684-7623
    684-Road@seattle.gov

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