Program on the Environment

Seattle’s South Park neighborhood is the destination for a potential Link Light Rail expansion, but in order to implement this project, there needs to be a basis for community support. This requires an understanding of how residents value their environment and what their awareness of light rail benefits may be. Through my time with Seattle Subway, I conducted a research project centered around this potential light rail expansion; what I wanted to discover was how important the environmental benefits typically associated with light rail are to the residents of South Park and what the overall community awareness level is. Additionally, whether or not these benefits have the potential to be utilized in communication strategies for garnering ballot support for the Link Light Rail expansion. After surveys, interviews, attending community meetings, and engaging in street-level conversations with the diverse residents in the area. I found attention to local environmental issues indicating environmental awareness, that specific local terms on environmental issues connect well with residents when discussing climate change and transit projects, and that South Park has a typical notion of distrusting government agency infrastructure projects. Considering these factors in future communication for ballot initiatives relating to light rail in all Seattle neighborhoods could help enhance community engagement and overall support for a more environmentally friendly means of transportation.