As Seattle’s population grows and the pace of development accelerates, many are finding it difficult to afford housing here. Families are moving to the suburbs and some are leaving because the character of the city is changing so quickly, and not for the better. A video produced for Yesler Community Collaborative by Weber Shandwick addresses these issues and provides a fresh perspective on maintaining Seattle as a city for the many.
Yesler Community Collaborative is working to address this issue through advocacy and by piloting programs to highlight and promote equitable development. Our partnership with Weber Shandwick, a global integrated marketing firm, has focused on finding ways to define and articulate the concept of equitable development.
Weber Shandwick’s Seattle office chose YCC as their Impact Project partner in mid-2016. The 2016 theme for the Impact Project was “closing the opportunity gap,” with the Seattle office focusing specifically on finding a way to contribute to community efforts here in Seattle. Since July staff from both organizations have worked together to create an equity narrative that will forward YCC’s goals and help policy makers and the general public better understand the implications for Seattle of rapid development and gentrification.
We welcome your thoughts about the video. Please share the video within your organization and on social media.
We also want to express our deep gratitude to the Weber Shandwick team for their dedication, professionalism and follow through on this project. Staff members Autumn Lerner, Kate Flynn, Erica Jordan, Mike Matheiu, Leigh Tucker, Rose Berg and the entire team went the extra mile to make this collaboration a success. Thanks!