One block of University Way NE will shut down to car traffic for two Saturdays this month, as organizers test out a car-free vision for Seattle's U District that dates back more than 70 years. The Ave for All closes the stretch between NE 42nd and NE 43rd streets to vehicles on Saturday and again on October 17, running from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with games, a giant chess board, live music and café seating filling the reclaimed street space.
The free event is organized by U District Advocates, a Seattle nonprofit focused on placemaking, civic advocacy, historic preservation and cultural activities, according to Secret Seattle. No registration is required to attend, and the group is seeking volunteers to help with setup, greet visitors, run activities and collect feedback from attendees — no previous experience necessary. The nearby U District Farmers Market will run until 2 p.m. during both event days, giving shoppers a reason to linger once the street itself opens up to pedestrians.
A Plan With Roots in 1955
The push to pedestrianize The Ave isn't new. University of Washington architecture professor Victor Steinbrueck proposed turning University Way into a pedestrian mall back in 1955, urging city leaders to “plan our cities for lovers and friends and forget about that damn motor car,” according to The UW Daily. His original vision covered five blocks, from NE 42nd to NE 47th streets, and he also had a role in preserving Pike Place Market. The effort to pedestrianize The Ave gained significant momentum in 1969, but stalled after property owners raised concerns about vehicle access and parking — the same friction that organizers are navigating today. This month's closures fall within that same general stretch of University Way envisioned in those earlier plans.
The neighborhood has closed The Ave for big one-off events before. The U District Street Fair began in May 1970 and remains a tradition on The Ave — its inaugural edition featured a street chess tournament and local art exhibitions, the UW Daily notes. Just last week, on October 3, the 5th annual U District Chow Down & Street Party closed a four-block stretch of University Way NE between NE 41st and NE 45th streets, drawing 78 neighborhood restaurants to a single car-free day, according to Secret Seattle.
Why Recurring Closures Are a Harder Sell
The City of Seattle's Special Events Committee originally denied U District Advocates' permit to close University Way NE for three Saturdays in May and June, after local business owners raised concerns over delivery access and event coordination, The UW Daily reported in May.
To make its case, U District Advocates plans to collect information about how people actually use the space during the Saturday closures, using the Seattle Department of Transportation's public life data protocol. Organizers are pointing to Pike Place Market's own pedestrian pilot as a model of what's possible: that program resulted in a 7.5% increase in foot traffic and a 9% increase in sales, per Secret Seattle. Seattle has since moved to expand pedestrian-priority infrastructure at the market, with SDOT announcing plans in February to install temporary crash-rated barriers, fixed posts and movable concrete planters ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as Hoodline reported.
The Ave for All also arrives amid broader churn along the corridor it's trying to activate. Starbucks permanently closed its store at 4147 University Way NE in April after months of employee strike activity, with baristas there having unionized back in 2022; a Xian Noodles restaurant is taking over the space, as Hoodline previously reported.
Organizers describe The Ave for All as a temporary change to how University Way functions, not a permanent closure. Supporters who want to see the pilot become something longer-lasting can sign an online petition for a car-free Ave, according to Secret Seattle — a step that mirrors the decades-long cycle of proposals, pushback and pilot projects that has defined this stretch of The Ave since Steinbrueck first sketched it out more than 70 years ago.
