Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Revitalizing a neighborhood, i.e. growing a community or keeping it from leaving, can be difficult, even if everybody’s in agreement on what needs to get done. I’m seen a couple of revitalization plans for neighborhoods *cough* *Alameda* *cough* *cough* go nowhere fast. Seattle’s plan for one of its oldest neighborhoods, Pioneer Square, involves free Internet and better parking.

Comcast has been chosen to provide high-speed Internet service to businesses in Pioneer Square, Mayor Mike McGinn said Wednesday, one of several efforts aimed at reanimating a neighborhood perceived to be in trouble.

McGinn also announced that Onehub, a business-file sharing company from Bellevue, was moving into the city’s oldest community next month. Charles Mount, Onehub CEO, said juiced-up Internet was a key factor in the decision to bring his 10-person business across Lake Washington…

The Comcast and Onehub announcements were part of the unveiling of a new plan (PDF) to revitalize Pioneer Square, the product of a panel of more than two dozen business, neighborhood and city leaders. Among the ideas are to increase residential density, streamline permits, improved lighting, better manage parking increase public safety.

“We by no means think we have the problems licked in Pioneer Square, we know it’s going to take a lot more work,” McGinn said.

more via Bathrooms, good Internet: Can they save Pioneer Sq.? – seattlepi.com.

Last summer they also had a “Pioneer Square” craft festival with food trucks and all sorts of crafty items. I have no idea if they’re doing it again this year (I guess not?), but if they are going to try and keep it as a tourist attraction for the people who jump off the ferries, then bathrooms and better lighting are a good start.

What else would you do to improve the feel of Pioneer Square? Cleaner streets? Different kinds of shops? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Comcast, Metro city plan Pioneer Square broadband (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Comcast bids to bring high-speed Internet to Pioneer Square (techflash.com)

Well, I was having a good day…but enough about me, what’s going on in with the rest of the world? Pretty miserable stuff, actually: Libyan rebels, Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown, the government shut down barely avoided…well, how are individual states doing? Now we know! A map on alexdavies.net used Twitter to determine just how happy each of our fifty nifty states are. Illinois seems darned happy. Washingtonians are – apparently only kinda sorta happy. From the Seattle PI:

On a scale of one to 42 — where one is ecstatically mirthful — Washington state has a happiness index of 21. In other words, it could go either way.

A map from alexdavies.net uses Twitter keywords to pinpoint just how positive or negative states are.

So, if lots of people are using words like “love” and “amazing” when they tweet, their states might get a better ranking.

Oddly enough, sad words for Washington include “Phillies” and “presale,” according to the site. “Starcraft” and “gentleman” also show up as negative words.