Connecting Seattle parks with more trails and boulevards would bring the city greater beauty, more usable open space and fulfillment of longstanding visions. A new plan for better links also may be the most affordable option the city has for park improvements in the near future.

The private Seattle Parks Foundation recently released the plan, which draws heavily on a 1990 study that influenced a number of trail developments and the original Olmsted Brothers design for boulevards between parks. As the new Parks Foundation report points out, the Olmsted plan made excellent use of the natural landscape to preserve native plants, provide recreational opportunities and create inspiring vistas.

Seattle's trails already offer walkers, skaters and bicyclists good opportunities for healthy activity. And some of the city's main streets, such as Lake Washington Boulevard, make for a beautiful drive while providing open space. But with a growing population, the city needs to make better use of what open space it has while transforming its walking and biking routes into better commuting options.

As the foundation suggests, new trails and boulevards have the advantage of being relatively affordable projects that, in part, can be carried out during repaving and other construction work. But if the city wants to build a better system, nothing would beat a levy devoted to the effort when the parks tax expires after next year.

On the Net: www.seattleparksfoundation.org

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