Go Behind Seattle's Overlook Walk With Land Morphology

Since the removal of the viaduct highway in 2019, Seattle’s waterfront has been getting a major facelift, with the newly opened Overlook Walk the latest piece in the revitalization. The elevated park connects Pike Place Market with the waterfront below and is animated with plentiful plants and seating areas to enjoy views across Puget Sound. Field Operations, the masterminds behind New York City’s High Line, is leading the waterfront project, and collaborated with local landscape architects Land Morphology on the planting design. Here, LUXE catches up with Richard Hartlage, founding principal of Land Morphology.

What north stars guided your approach to the Overlook Walk? We set out to tell the story of western Washington’s native plants. The scale of Overlook Walk is immense, so we organized it into four ecological zones: a Cascade Mountain forest, foothills, a prairie meadow and shoreline-inspired plantings along the stairway. As you move from Pike Place Market down to the shoreline, you walk through the plant communities found from the Cascade Mountains to the shore.

What are some of your favorite moments on Overlook Walk? One of my favorite elements is what we affectionately call “the saddle”—a narrow stretch spanning Alaskan Way. We planted a dense grove of birches here, along with a rich understory of native shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The use of larger-scale plantings helps define the space, creating soft edges that bring a sense of intimacy while directing sight lines toward Puget Sound.

How does this exemplify your approach to sustainability? The sustainability of Overlook Walk is rooted—quite literally—in its soil design. The substantial soil profile allows the landscape to capture and retain rainfall, effectively eliminating runoff during many storm events, or slowing and filtering it before it enters the stormwater system and, ultimately, Puget Sound.