Academic Year: 2018

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To promote holistically healthy and nutritious food systems and challenge the dominant narrative about food in the US, I hosted a café and curated a disruptive advertising campaign and art exhibition in the University of Washington Business School that highlighted truths about the industrial and sustainable food systems and their social and environmental effects. This project juxtaposed the concepts of “farm to table” and “firm to table;” and included the combination of art, music, poetry, and film to influence the participant’s experience. Through the method of a pop-up café called “A Feast for the Senses,” the event utilized culinary storytelling to encourage active community participation and engagement around food, facilitated dialogue, and the act of eating to motivate people to think critically about what is behind a food brand and the power of an individual ethic of choice around food consumption

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As a student, I have found it impossible to walk to class without seeing at least a couple bike share bikes. You’ve probably seen them around: these green, yellow and orange bicycles have been introduced in a pilot program by the Seattle Department of Transportation to test whether dockless bike share can overcome the challenges that Pronto!, Seattle’s previous attempt at bike share did not address well. The relatively new SDOT pilot program, which provides permits for operation to three companies, has been extended through the end of 2018. The main question I would like to answer is: How can SDOT adequately update its bike share program policy after the pilot has ended to support the long-term viability of dockless bikeshare and address the concerns of the public while simultaneously continuing to encourage the dockless bikeshare model? In this project, I address what it will take for LimeBike, ofo, and Spin to become a logical business case for SDOT with support from citizens. I create solutions of how to solve some of the problems this new bikeshare model faces by utilizing urban design principles, transportation planning theory, and sustainable business models. By synthesizing interviews with bike share professionals and combining this human perspective with comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research on the topic, I provide specific recommendations for bike share permitting policy changes, infrastructure improvements, and business practice goals. By producing this set of recommendations, I hope to benefit the future of mobility in Seattle and ensure a lasting place for bike share in the urban fabric of our city.

Interstate 5 is a freeway that runs north/south through the heart of Seattle, splitting the residential area of Capitol Hill from the central business district of Downtown. Recently, a group of urban activists and designers has proposed a solution to this problem in the form of a “lid” or cover over the I-5 roadway that would re-connect the city’s urban grid as well as provide new, and much needed, open space. My project supports this effort by developing a series of design guidelines aimed at enhancing the pedestrian experience of the new lidded area. Using a matrix based on the Dutch architect Jan Gehl’s twelve criteria for successful public spaces and the design criteria of a Woonerf or Dutch “living street”, I develop several recommendations that will improve the safety, accessibility, and user experience of this important future urban amenity.

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My research poses the following question: how does colorism affect the Mexican immigrant community in Yakima, Washington? Colorism is the allocation of privilege or disadvantage based on one’s skin color. In Yakima, Mexican immigrants suffer marginalization not only based upon their class and citizenship, but also their skin color. This latter form of discrimination rarely appears in the scholarly literature or in public discussions of immigrant rights. To learn how colorism as a form of racism and discrimination impacts the lives of Mexican immigrants, I conducted two focus groups in Yakima, Washington in partnership with a non-profit organization called La Casa Hogar which provides educational services to the Latino population in the area. The results of my research show that participants connected colorism to different forms of discrimination that intersect with age, gender, language, and [dis]ability, etc. Additionally, themes emerged from participants’ experiences about how discrimination exists in the work place, within the family and the Mexican culture, and how racist rhetoric is communicated. All these themes turned into a discussion of how discrimination effects Mexicans physiologically, mentally and emotionally. This research deepens our understanding of this important issue and to remind professionals such as policy makers, planners, and educators that social constructs around skin color continue to negatively affect marginalized communities of color.

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Research shows that the excessive consumption of sugar is one of the primary factors leading to obesity and health problems in America.
One of the most significant sources of added sugars in American diets is breakfast cereal. The aim of this project is to explore the potential of a smartphone app to educate and mitigate the confusion caused by food labels on cereal boxes at grocery stores. This project aims to help American consumers make healthier choices by laying the groundwork for a new app that will help consumers make sensible decisions when choosing breakfast cereals. The app will provide the visual framework for providing key information on the nutritional and sugar content of common breakfast cereals, as well as make recommendations for alternative cereals that are lower in sugar. Specifically, in the project I designed a set of example screen displays of a smartphone app that provides real-time shopping assistance to compare products and receive a recommendation based on the sugar content. I conducted a literature review of the health impacts of added sugars and the marketing techniques utilized in selling breakfast cereals. This smartphone app will positively influence consumer choices at grocery stores by providing nutrition information relevant to cereals and mitigate the confusion caused by complex nutrition labels. If successful with cereals, later versions of the app can include additional food products.

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Every year in the United States, 50 million pounds of plastic toothbrushes are sent to landfills. This project aims to change that by convincing the American public to switch to compostable bamboo toothbrushes. To do this, I created a pilot program for the University of Washington School of Dentistry faculty and students to receive informed feedback. Funded by the UW Campus Sustainability Fund and the Community Support Grant through the Community, Environment and Planning major, the project produced 150 complete “green” goodie bags with compostable floss, biodegradable toothpaste, and a compostable bamboo toothbrush packaged in a compostable bag with a survey. The survey’s purpose is to assess the user experience of UW Dentistry faculty and students. The initial results of the study show barriers to adapting to “green” dental products, specifically bamboo toothbrushes. This was particularly acute among respondents, who expressed hesitation towards the green dental products. This study demonstrates that attempts to make dental care more sustainable will face challenges, including technological, regulatory, economic, and cultural barriers to change.

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We are faced at present with an interesting dichotomy, we are at present the most aware and apprehensive about environmental impact and changes than we have ever been in history, yet we are developing and growing faster than we have in recent history.

The goal of my senior project, and in fact my educational trajectory within the Community, Environment, and Planning major, has been to explore how we as a society can live and grow more responsibly. Seattle is the paradigm of urban intersecting with natural environment, the areas incredibly diverse and important natural ecosystems are in a constant struggle with the drive to expand and grow. In my four years here at the University of Washington, it has become clear that there is a lack of appreciation for our natural surroundings, or even awareness of their state of decline. How is it that our University is home to one of the best Fisheries’ science schools in the world, located less than an hour from historic salmon fisheries, yet many of our students have never been face to face with the fangs of a spawning chum? How is it that we boast a top level environmental sciences program, with students who rarely leave the 634 acres of our urban campus? How can we expect to progress as a society, and develop in a manner which prioritizes sustainable interaction with the environment, if our Urban Citizens have neither concept nor connection with the natural world.

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The Burke-Gilman Trail is a popular and heavily used pedestrian and cycling trail that runs 27 miles through the City of Seattle and suburbs to the north. As an urban trail, the Burke-Gilman has several “conflict zones” where changes in trail typology create safety problems for the trail users. This project seeks to first identify and better understand the nature of these conflict zones, and second, develop responsive design solutions that will increase the overall safety of the trail. To understand the circulation patterns and safety issues on the Burke-Gilman Trail, cameras were placed at three intersections to capture near misses, crashes, and unique uses of the trail space. The results of these observations highlight the design failures and the need for design modifications. The design solutions were developed by applying design best practices to the particular contexts of the trail. The design products from this project are intended to inspire action and build community awareness of the safety issues inherent in the current design of the Burke-Gilman trail.

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While many people enjoy the luxury and convenience of on-site parking, most do not know that their parking spot is raising the cost of their housing. Many cities, including Seattle, have minimum parking requirements that regulate the amount of parking spaces built for new residential dwelling units. The average cost of building a parking space in Seattle is $35,000, so housing developers drive up costs to cover the expensive cost of parking. Given the high cost of housing in Seattle, how can we change our approach to parking policies to address affordability? My qualitative study examines current policies around minimum parking in Seattle and uses case studies from various international cities to explore alternative practices. This information is supplemented with feedback from local multi-family housing developers to grasp the financial implications of my recommendations. I recommend that Seattle look into maximum parking limits and parking caps as a change in direction that could decrease housing cost through construction savings and by freeing up existing parking lots for infill housing developments.

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With 21% of Seattle youth suffering from obesity and 83% of students living within the walk zone of their school, there is a clear need and opportunity to encourage students to walk to school. A Walking School Bus aims to meet this need by providing children with an adult supervised walking group that commutes to school along designated routes. Although research shows that schools in low-income communities have the most to gain from Walking School Buses, these communities often lack the resources needed to organize such programs. Under the assertion that all students should have a right to safe and healthy access to school, this report considers how the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) can support the development of Walking School Buses at elementary schools across Seattle. This report (1) discusses how capacity among schools differ, (2) evaluates case studies of Walking School Buses in Seattle, and (3) looks  toward active transportation campaigns from around the world to synthesize a vision for the future of walking to school in Seattle. The product of this report is a list of recommendations that outline how SDOT can most effectively drive Walking School Bus growth. By raising a generation of active commuters, Seattle can take a big step toward building resilient mobility systems that improve quality of life for all.