The University of Washington Livable City Year program has selected the City of Bellevue to be the community partner for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Staff and representatives from the University of Washington will present information about the city’s participation in the program during tonight’s City Council Study Session.
The year-long partnership connects city staff with students and faculty who will collaborate on projects to advance the Bellevue City Council Vision Priorities, specifically around livability and sustainability.
“The city is excited about the opportunity to partner with the University of Washington Livable City Year team,” city manager Brad Miyake said. “This partnership extends our capacity to continue to provide affordable, high quality services to our residents. It also advances the City Council’s priorities while making a real difference in how Bellevue’s programs and services support and enhance the quality of life for our entire community.”
In the upcoming year, city staff will work with the University of Washington’s Livable City Year program participants on a variety of possible projects that range from trail-oriented development and urban forestry best practices to potential public/private partnerships and multi-family community outreach strategies.
Projects encompass many of the council’s strategic target areas of Economic Development, Transportation and Mobility, High Quality Built and Natural Environment, Great Places You Want to Be, Achieving Human Potential, and High-Performance Government.
“The University of Washington’s Livable City Year creates wonderful learning opportunities for our students as they work side-by-side with local community members and our faculty,” UW president Ana Mari Cauce said. “I’m especially happy that the project’s third year will include a partnership with the City of Bellevue, home to our Global Innovation Exchange facility where collaborations between students, educators and cutting-edge companies are helping develop leaders in innovation with a global perspective.”
The Livable City Year program matches faculty, courses and students across all UW schools, colleges and campuses to best match the projects identified by the city. Through the partnership, city staff are connected to the research and project work at the university.
Danielle Verwahren, who is the management fellow in the City Manager’s Office, is leading the city’s participation in the program.
“Our staff team is thrilled about this unique opportunity to partner with the University of Washington community and its resources to creatively advance some of the city’s important projects and initiatives,” Verwahren said.
The UW’s Livable City Year program is led by faculty directors Branden Born with the Department of Urban Design and Planning, Jennifer Otten with the School of Public Health, and Anne Taufen with the Urban Studies Program at UW Tacoma. The Livable City Year program launched in the 2016–2017 academic year. Previous city partners include the Cities of Auburn and Tacoma.
