“Human Libraries” are interactive, community-based events in which ordinary people gather to share information and discuss ideas face-to-face with members of the community they wouldn't typically interact with. Created in Denmark in 2000, they have since spread around the globe, reaching the U.S. in 2008. This project examines several Human Libraries that have taken place across the U.S. and tries to determine which elements are most responsible for the events’ success. Findings for this research are based on interviews with several Human Library organizers, participant observations at a Human Library event in Vancouver, B.C., and an analysis of the commonalities shared between multiple Human Library events throughout the United States. The results of this research will help Human Libraries reach their full potential by providing organizers with a strengthened set of best practices and successful case studies on which to model their own events.

Raves are a carnivalesque liminal space wherein socially constructed differences between participants such as race, class, and gender are intentionally (if imperfectly) deemphasized. This phenomenon allows for social bonds to be formed based on a perceived “common humanity.” A highly structured kinship system emerges out of this discourse and is generally based on the ideology of PLUR(R) (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, and Responsibility). This philosophy or code of ethics emphasizes caring for others and in practice has been an internal mechanism for safety in the community whereby ravers educate and protect each other through positive social policing. The strong sense of belonging and community created within this space is often overlooked by media and therefore, public perception of this community is often based on misunderstanding and associations with illicit drug usage. In order to better inform harm reduction strategies, this study illuminates these kinship bonds and how these bonds impact safety at raves in Seattle, Washington using qualitative ethnographic methods such as interviews and participant observation. Through gathering this data of first hand experience in the rave community, systems of public safety can better tailor harm reduction strategies to be more effective.

In the United States today, biking is a gendered activity. Nationwide, far fewer women bike commute or ride their bikes in urban areas than men. This gap holds true even in bicycle-oriented cities such as Seattle, where the majority of people who ride their bikes in the city identify as male. This research investigates the cause of this gap and identifies steps that cities and communities can take to encourage more women to cycle. The research includes a review of the literature on bicycle commuting, with a focus on known barriers to and attitudes about bicycle commuting; in depth interviews with leaders in Seattle’s bike community; and an analysis of other American communities known for strong bike infrastructure. Findings from this research are then used to inform several policy, practice, and design recommendations aimed at closing the gender gap by increasing the number of women who regularly commute or bicycle in urban areas.
 

Lost, confused, lonely, and out of place: these are sentiments felt by many transfer students as they try to acclimate to the University of Washington. Adjusting to a new institution can be a difficult process to undergo alone. For transfer students, the inability to acclimate or the delay in acclimation can result in higher levels of stress, poor academic performance, psychological instability, and unbalanced social well-being. In response to these issues, my senior project investigates how current University of Washington transfer students can help incoming transfer students acclimate to the university. Drawing on the Transfer Students United organization (the first transfer student club at the UW), I conducted surveys and focus group interviews with current UW transfer students in order to better understand their experiences acclimating to the UW and identify their specific needs as incoming transfer students. Based on the results of this research, I then proposed several social and psychological focus areas for the Transfer Students United organization to incorporate as they create resources and services for transfer students.
 

In preparation for the 2021 opening of a new light rail station, the University District community in Seattle has begun to address safety and cleanliness concerns in the alleyways around the station and in the neighborhood as a whole. This project contributes to that effort by identifying areas of particular concern and recommending steps that the community and city can take to address them. Specifically, working with the U District Partnership, a local neighborhood non-profit, I have focused on cleanliness and safety in the alleyways. I then completed a more specific analysis of two alleyways in Seattle identified as being particularly clean and safe. The findings of this analysis were combined with best practices derived from literature on neighborhood safety and used to develop several design and policy solutions for the neighborhood alleys. Finally, these solutions were applied to a single alleyway closest to the future light rail station, providing both a guide for the development of this space as well as a case study for other alley improvements in the University District.

As a result of rapid urbanization, Lake City, a neighborhood in north Seattle, has experienced a significant shift in its demographics, local socio-political dynamics, cultural values, economic conditions, and spatial boundaries. As an effort to better represent and improve the Lake City area, residents created the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance (LCNA), a network of 28 neighborhood organizations, including multiple neighborhood associations, a parent teacher association, a food bank, and a safe-street advocacy program, among others. Such alliances are often championed by neighborhood planning advocates as an effective way to increase citizen participation, enhance community representation, and improve neighborhood conditions. However, very few studies have looked closely at the challenges and internal dynamics of such alliances. This research fills that gap by understanding the benefits and difficulties that come with a parent organization, such as the LCNA, working to improve a community through collaboration between member organizations. Through a series of in depth interviews with LCNA members and participant observations, this project uses the LCNA as a case study to explore why organizations and their representatives continue to be a part of such coalitions, and how the structure of a neighborhood alliance can influence its ability to effectively address local problems and strengthen the community overall.

One of the central tenants of modern urban planning is that communities and citizens should be involved in the planning process, in part so that planners can focus on problems and solutions that people care most about. However, one group that is often missing from these conversations is children, even though children often have specific needs, experiences, and ways of interacting with the built environment that are quite different from adults. To help fill this gap in planning knowledge, this project uses an age-appropriate method to uncover children’s perceptions of and experiences with the city. Specifically, this project worked with students from two local elementary schools to produce drawings of their streets and neighborhoods as they see them now, and envision them changing for the better. These drawings were then analyzed for common patterns, elements, and themes, and used to develop recommendations of child-centric items that planners can further focus on. Additionally, the maps were collected in a bound book that was provided to the children to reinforce the value of their own experiences and perceptions of the built environment, and to demonstrate to planners that children’s views of the city also matter.