Metronatural: Inventing and Taming Nature in Seattle - Politics of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City - page 108

by erasing the vertical relief that constrained the free fl ow of people and
goods, but the regrades were also central to rationalizing the shifting
boundary between water and land. Raban notes that “Seattle was built
on pilings over the sea, and at high tide the whole city seemed to come
afl oat like a ship lifting free from a mud berth and swaying in its chains.” 80
The waterfront consisted of a shifting amalgam of water and land that
resisted the creation of a permanent foundation for economic growth.
Seattle's economic future was compromised not only by a hilly landscape
but also one that was impermanent, with the boundary between dry land
and water being continually renegotiated by tidal activity. This relation-
ship was particularly evident in the area south of the downtown region,
where the Duwamish River emptied into Elliott Bay. The tidefl ats were a
desirable location for economic expansion of the central business district
because of the ready access to deep water for transportation of goods, but
this location was hindered by the presence of thousands of acres of estu-
ary lands (see fi gure 5.6). 81 From the perspective of Promethean actors,
Figure 5.6
The tidefl ats and waterfront south of downtown Seattle as seen from Beacon Hill circa 1898.
Source : MOHAI 1983.10.6049.4.