Collaborative Visioning

A new light rail station at South Graham Street, which was part of the Seattle transportation levy passed by voters in fall of 2015, became part of the “Sound Transit 3” expansion planned for completion by 2031. The infill South Graham Street station is an excellent opportunity for the South Graham St. neighborhood to not only economically benefit from the new development, but also to provide an avenue for climate justice within the South Seattle neighborhood. South Seattle communities are highly vulnerable to displacement. It has been rec- ognized as one of the most diverse and dynamic neighborhoods, not only in the Pacific Northwest but also across the entire United States. For decades, it has been classified as “truly disadvantaged” and “stable low income.” In this part of Seattle there is also a lack of support for climate resilience development, housing security, and economic development. A local non-profit organization - Puget Sound Sage - has been working with com- munity members to workshop ideal visions for the light rail development through community-led equitable TOD planning. Puget Sound Sage facilitated this commu- nity participation process, supporting community members in defining the prob- lem, gathering information, and interpreting results, which creates a collaborative partnership in which partners engage equitably, share decision-making power, and share resources.