How Seattle Is Curbing the Power of Neighborhood Groups

In the urban contest between developers and NIMBYs, the concerns of renters, residents of color, and other underrepresented groups often get scant consideration. Seattle's Mayor Ed Murray and Department of Neighborhoods director Kathy Nyland want to change that.

Erica C. Barnett discusses a series of policy shifts, starting with last July's decision to cut ties and funding for Seattle's 13 Neighborhood District Councils. Instead, the city is seeking volunteers for a new Community Involvement Commission, which will represent substantially more diverse interests than the councils. The city will also form a renters' commission to represent that oft-ignored group.

Needless to say, traditional groups aren't happy. Barnett writes, "homeowners, who tend to be white, more affluent and older than the average resident, have shaped neighborhoods in their reflection — building a city that is consistently rated as one of the nation's most livable, as well as one of its most expensive [...] The shakeup has rattled traditional neighborhood groups, which have grown accustomed to outsized influence at City Hall."