Bringing together people and resources to support equitable and sustainable community development in neighborhoods adjacent to downtown Seattle

By Yesler Community Collaborative and Weber Shandwick

A city for the many

Seattle has been dubbed the crane capitol of the nation. Rapid development and displacement are threatening the character of unique and historic neighborhoods that have made Seattle an interesting and livable city for many years.

Crescent Collaborative advocates for equitable development to preserve cultural and economic diversity in these neighborhoods, with housing that is affordable for all. Weber Shandwick, a global integrated marketing firm, worked with us to produce this video to articulate this important message, so that we can own our growth and remain a city for the many.

Crescent Collaborative began in late 2019 as a continuation of its predecessor, Yesler Community Collaborative.  Crescent Collaborative works to support equity and sustainability within the urban neighborhoods adjacent to downtown Seattle. This involves cultural preservation and growth, economic and cultural diversity, health, resilience and environmental sustainability. These neighborhoods include Capitol Hill, First Hill, the Central Area, Yesler Terrace, Little Saigon and the Chinatown-International District. Our goal is to counter gentrification in these significant historic neighborhoods as we foster social equity, economic opportunity and great educational and health outcomes for residents.

Connector, coordinator, convener

We convene our community partners to identify shared interests, visions and goals. Then we take action together to achieve those goals in the arenas of housing, environment, economic opportunity, health and well-being, and—with the Seattle University Center for Community Engagement—education.

As a backbone organization, we seek to:

  • guide vision and strategy
  • support aligned activities
  • establish shared measurement practices
  • build public will
  • advance policy
  • mobilize funding.

We connect the dots across issue areas in multi-neighborhood workgroups to test new ideas and advocate for policy change at the city, county and state levels. Where interests and goals are shared across neighborhoods we coordinate efforts to help our partners increase their effectiveness.

Tour our neighborhoods

Take a moment to enjoy and appreciate the diversity of these neighborhoods through the slide show below. Just as they are, these communities offer cultural richness and variety. Our collective challenge is to recognize this and support opportunity for all in these communities as they grow and change.

 

Photo Credits
Images generously provided by Seattle University, Seattle Housing Authority, the Bullitt Center and the following individuals: Brian Chu, Steve Babujak, Nic Lehoux and Chris Kalinko.