Creating Healthy Neighborhoods: Building Blocks for Vibrant Cities and Beyond

1. Creating Healthy Neighborhoods: Building Blocks for Vibrant Cities and Beyond Nubia Lopez,Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Initiative (SUNI) Program Associate Presenters: Deborah Kuznitz, Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Initiative (SUNI) Program Manager

2. Objectives • Present strategies from a sustainability perspective. • Importance and benefits of an asset-based approach to community building. • Ways to reach underrepresented community stakeholders through the use of technology and community relevant (and community collected) data. • To gain a better understanding of the importance of neighborhood-scale sustainability measures and the connection to global (sustainability) goals.

3. Ice Breaker • What I appreciate about my neighborhood/community is ..... • What I think could use improvement in my neighborhood/community is ……

4. Sustainable Seattle Advances an integrated vision of sustainability through: • Measuring Progress • Building Diverse Coalitions • Undertaking Key Initiatives

5. Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Initiative Brings People Together Researching Conditions and Collecting Data Supporting Action and Change

6. Participating Neighborhoods N • East Ballard • Chinatown-International District • Greenwood & Phinney Ridge W E S

7. Street-Level Surveys: ComNETSM • A comprehensive program using specially programmed handheld computers to track street-level deficits (problems) & assets (strengths) • Conditions found are linked to either the affiliated-responsible City agency or community organization • Reports and pictures are produced easily • Community representatives can establish a baseline and track how conditions change over time

8. Track conditions using indicators Observe conditions Identify priorities Street-Level Surveys Citizens Communicate priorities & findings Citizens & government act to address concerns Positively impact Neighborhoods

9. East Ballard: Visioning • Joined SUNI partnership in 2nd Year • Unique: No commercial district, subset of larger neighborhood, challenging mixed use/transportation challenges • Objective: To inventory/document attributes and deficits

10. East Ballard’s 14th Avenue Visioning Project • Community Goal: To collaborate with community and businesses, to create a vision for 14th Avenue. • Outcomes: Create more pedestrian and bicycle friendly atmosphere, more open space, sustainable water filtration for runoff to canal, slow down traffic, preserve industry. • Partnership highlighted problems (sidewalk problems, litter, illegal dumping, overnight parking) and potential attributes. http://www.14avenw.org/index.html

11. Planning: Chinatown-International District • Partnership with the International District Housing Alliance • Population: 2,702 • 50% or more API • 50% live below poverty line • Urban Center, located between two federal highways, next to two large sports stadiums, elderly population

12. Community Perspectives Project & EPA CARE I Goals: Collect built environment assets and deficits and toxic related data Accomplishments: Data collection activities (years 2003-2007); Trend analysis, helped community establish priorities and get attention from City

13. Action: Greenwood & Phinney Ridge • Two Neighborhoods- Residential Urban Center • Population 2,308 • Median Income: $46,621 • 18.8% non-white; 7.4% Hispanic/Latino

14. Applying Indicators to Action: Free the Trees/Save our Roots Indicator: # of trees overgrowing tree pits; • Used to establish priority, attention from city, grant proposal. Improvement Strategy: • Fix tree pits and damaged sidewalks along Greenwood-Phinney Ridge Business District Sustainability Improvement Outcome: • Over 80 Trees Saved

15. Successes: Partnering with well connected groups (e.g. language capability, cultural knowledge, neighborhoods history, and committed staff) Building strong relationships with key city staff Modifying data/survey tools to fit needs of communities Flexibility: Including new techniques for community building (e.g. Asset-based approach to community-building) Challenges: Retaining commitment of volunteers & over long term Different outcomes & expectations between stakeholders Language & cultural differences between stakeholders Complicated city processes Reaching out to underrepresented groups with limited Internet access Successes and Challenges

16. Purpose: Self-organize in small groups to discuss topics of interest to you. How It Works The Output:Improvement Strategies and Supporting Indicators Activity

17. What one thing would make (your community) more livable/improve the quality of life/sustainable? How can you make that happen? What indicators will support one strategy? Framing Questionsfor Activity/Strategy Development

18. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."Margaret Mead VisioningPlanningActions Local Actions, Global Sustainability

19. Questions?

20. Contact Information: www.sustainableseattle.org/Programs/SUNI Deborah Kuznitz (206) 357-5433, deborah@sustainableseattle.org Nubia Lopez (206) 622-3522, nubia@sustainableseattle.org Thank you for coming! • Resources Information: • 14th Avenue Visioning Project: http://www.14avenw.org/index.html • International District Housing Alliance: http://www.apialliance.org/idha/ • The Fund for the City of New York/Center for Municipal Government Performance: http://www.fcny.org/portal.php/govt/cmgp/comnetsm/