Forum on growth, community

What does it take to build livable, sustainable communities? How can we be a part of planning our neighborhoods? What do you want your community to look like in 20 years?

Snohomish County is forming decisions now — about how and where it will put new homes and jobs — that will shape our future through 2035. During every step of the county’s process there will be opportunities to weigh in and make sure the council adopts policies to make that growth creates more livable, sustainable communities. The more we know and share, the more we can shape our future!

I’m thrilled to announce that on Saturday, Pilchuck Audubon Society and Growing Transit Communities will host the 4th Livable Snohomish County Summit and County Council Candidate Forum. The event is co-sponsored by Futurewise, League of Women Voters of Snohomish County, Snohomish Group of Sierra Club and Transition Port Gardner. We will explore how we can work to together for “Building Livable Communities.” The free event is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the PUD Building, 2320 California Street in Everett.

I’m equally excited that our two keynote speakers will be Dr. Andrew J. Dannenberg, MD, MPH, Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the UW School of Public Health and in the Department of Urban Design and Planning in the U.W. College of Built Environments; and Sara Schott Nikolic, Principal Planner with Puget Sound Regional Council. The summit will include 12 breakout sessions covering a wide variety of ways we can build livable communities, films, informational tables and exhibits and the County Council candidate forum for the three council seats up for election in November.

This is a free event that includes lunch for everyone who registers. Email kristin@futurewise.org by Oct. 8.

Kristin Kelly

Snohomish/Skagit Program Director, Futurewise

Smart Growth Director, Pilchuck Audubon Society

Snohomish