‘Parallel universe’: Residents and artists imagine Africatown in Seattle’s Central District

In the rapidly gentrifying Central District, the once and future heart of Seattle’s black community, it seems almost every other street corner is home to a developer’s sign advertising a bland new town-house development or apartment building.

A group of designers has imagined a different future there.

It’s a utopian vision for a place called Africatown, where African-American commerce and institutions fuel the redevelopment of businesses, neighborhoods, parks and other outdoor spaces.

“Coming Soon” sign locations

• Gerber Park,