Transforming the Urban Built Environment: The Seattle 2030 District as a Model for Collaborative Change

Abstract

The Seattle 2030 District is a public-private partnership focused on meeting, and beating, the aggressive water usage, energy usage, and carbon neutrality goals set by the 2030 Challenge. Founded by Brian Geller, a Seattle architect, Seattle 2030 District was the first of fifteen 2030 Districts in the USA and Canada. In fact, Seattle’s initiative set the example for all later 2030 District cities. Geller’s vision was a city whose building owners and managers collaborated to achieve reductions in usage and emissions across water, energy, and transportation. From the germ of the idea in 2009 to now, Seattle 2030 District has become a vibrant community of 120 members—property owners, building managers and professionals, and community stakeholders—who have set the standard for collaboration around reductions in building energy use and transportation emissions, public and regional funding collaborations for the greening of city buildings, and sharing of best practices across building owners and managers. Challenges to tackle next include incorporating more issues of equitable and affordable housing, sustaining member engagement after the initial commitment to take action, and fund-raising to support the infrastructure of the collaboration.