After a bit of a lull, CascadiaCast is back! (And with a hell of a lot better sound quality.)
I had the exciting opportunity to talk with Cathy Tuttle, Executive Director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. We took a fascinating dive into her background as a Seattle parks planner, Planning Commission staffer, and local sustainability advocate. A sabbatical in Sweden and her family’s challenges in bicycling and walking around Seattle inspired her to advocate for safer streets for everyone.
Today, her influence is apparent in the City’s Bicycle Master Plan, greenways and corridor safety projects across the city, and the policy agenda of the Seattle City Council. She also helped lead the city’s adoption of the Vision Zero movement and the voter-approved Move Seattle levy, a ten year, $930 million package that will improve transportation options citywide.
We conclude with advice on how people can begin similar grassroots efforts in other communities:
We can have cities that are inclusive, that really pay attention to the values that families have, that everyday people want to have when they’re walking and biking. And driving! And living lives that are full of dignity on our streets. I mean, you have to keep on building coalitions. You can’t just make it, grassroots are interconnected roots. You can just say ‘it’s my blade of grass’. It’s a field of grass.
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This article is a cross-post from The Northwest Urbanist.
Scott Bonjukian has degrees in architecture and planning, and his many interests include neighborhood design, public space and streets, transit systems, pedestrian and bicycle planning, local politics, and natural resource protection. He cross-posts from The Northwest Urbanist and leads the Seattle Lid I-5 effort. He served on The Urbanist board from 2015 to 2018.