Client: City of Bellingham, WA
Case Study: With the formation of the Community Work Group (CWG), our team supported the update to the City’s comprehensive planning process. The CWG enabled the collection of valuable input, diverse perspectives, and feedback from diverse populations of the City. The Bellingham Plan will guide the City’s development, investments, and programs over the next 20 years, focusing on housing, transportation, and climate resilience. To ensure the plan reflected the needs of all community members, especially those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, we worked closely with the City to create a workgroup broadly representative of Bellingham’s diverse identities.
The team collaborated with the City to set demographic goals for the CWG and helped recruit members through targeted outreach methods, including web content, social media, flyers, collaboration with community-based organizations, and personalized communication. After conducting interviews, we selected the final CWG members. Over the next year, our team supported the City in organizing eleven accessible meetings, providing quarterly stipends to CWG members, and maintaining consistent communication with members and City staff to ensure a collaborative and effective planning process that would inform the Bellingham Plan update.
Impact: This collaborative and inclusive approach ensured an effective planning process that will guide the Bellingham Plan update. The CWG’s efforts led to several key outcomes, including the identification of priority areas for affordable housing, recommendations for improving public transportation routes, and strategies for enhancing climate resilience in vulnerable neighborhoods. These contributions were key to shaping a plan that is more responsive to the community’s needs.