Some eco-minded groups that traditionally focus on rural conservation are turning their attention to urban areas, in an effort to combat inequality and sprawl.
The cranes are on the march in Tukwila, Washington, a Seattle suburb of 20,000 people not far from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. You can see the telltale signs of theย metro regionโs construction boomalong International Boulevard, where a gleaming new library marks aย city-led mixed-use projectย in an area that just a few years ago was best known as aย drug trafficking hub. North of the construction stands an aging 60-room Knights Inn motel thatโs ripe for redevelopment. The property changed hands in January, but the new buyer isnโt some teardown-eager developer who plans on building condos for the cityโs burgeoning population of young tech workers; rather, itโs a land conservancy more accustomed to preserving rural farms and forests.
Forterra, a land trust that operates throughout Washington State, paid $3 million for the property, utilizing a new fund dedicated solely to urban projects. The eventual beneficiary will be the Abu Bakr Islamic Community Center across the street, a hub for the neighborhoodโs growing Somali community. I toured the hotel with Abdirisak Ahmed, the centerโs director. Two buildings up front will eventually hold 30 or so storefronts for entrepreneurs who currently face rising rents elsewhere in the city. โBack thereโโhe points to a two-story building at the rear of the propertyโโwill be apartments for refugees and newcomers.โ