In 2019, I led a day-long workshop in Spokane for city staff and community leaders to develop plans for bicycle paths connecting neighborhoods: Spokane in Motion - Better and Safer Bicycling for All.

In 2021, I was invited back to assist the city staff with planning and designing a public process to envision and implement traffic calming throughout the city.

In 2022, I trained 18 city staff members in the Pomegranate Method of public engagement.

Recently, I offered another training workshop and, in collaboration with the city, I am developing a handbook on practices and protocols for ongoing community engagement.

I am currently working with the staff of the Diversity Advantage Plan and city leadership to develop a strategic plan for cross-cultural programs with the possibility of creating a dedicated building.

The Diversity Advantage Plan’s goal is to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive City of Bellevue. I’ve trained the staff in the Pomegranate Method, and I am helping them design and conduct community engagement going forward. The goal is to hear from existing and emerging leaders and organizations interested in cross-cultural activities with an emphasis on exchanging traditions, ideas, learning, and relationship building.

I put out a call in February to invite people to join an ad-hoc think tank to see what a small group of people can do to curb urban sprawl, so normal now that we don’t question it. A dozen individuals responded—architects, planners, artists, writers, film-makers, ecologists, leadership experts—and we have a monthly virtual meeting (and a few one-on-ones in between) with the goal of clarifying what a small group can do to encourage people to recognize how wasteful our cities are, how great they could be, and what each of us can do about it.

For those who read my posts, you know that I see a direct connection between the design of our cities and our inner thoughts. We create cities and, in turn, they create us.

With each wonderfully engaging meeting, we make progress toward a document which we will all co-sign, and hopefully creating a movement for the greater good! I look forward to sharing more details in the near future!

Renowned Slovenian film director Damjan Kozole is making a full-length documentary film about the Group OHO. Last September I was in Slovenia for four days of filming, and the crew may come to the States to do some more filming. If they do come, I would like them to witness a Pomegranate-like mini project, illustrating community-based art. If any of you have a site or idea for a potential project, please let me know.

This is a Seattle grassroots initiative to close a segment of HW 99 and reclaim 40 acres of land for affordable housing, community owned businesses, parks and other amenities that serve the people. This initiative received funding from the City of Seattle, and in February U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $1.6 million in further funding for the project. Here, I also trained project leaders in the Pomegranate Method of community engagement.

The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to power the streetcar system and eventually became a backup power plant until 1977, when it was decommissioned. Seattle City Lights and others have worked to preserve the plant and received a designation as a National Historic Landmark. I trained leaders of this historic industrial cathedral in the Pomegranate Method of community engagement, passing on tools to involve many community organizations and members in how to transform it into a community cultural and educational center.

Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center is a 432-acre multi-use park with over two miles of saltwater shoreline and a variety of services and facilities. Many historic buildings remain at this 19th century military fort and now serve as a full-service conference center for seminars, conferences, retreats, art and musical events.

In late 2022 I collaborated with Signal Architecture + Research, a firm making architectural improvements to the buildings in need of repair, to facilitate planning sessions with the PDA Board and representatives of the businesses and nonprofits that make the fort their home. They reached an agreed-upon strategic direction based on a shared understanding and strong collaboration.