Find Posts By Topic

Found in translation: How Seattle created a centralized system to manage translation

Seattle is an increasingly multicultural and multilingual city. More than 150 languages or dialects are spoken by students and their families in Seattle Public Schools. This incredible linguistic diversity presents a logistical challenge for the City government to communicate with all of its residents about everything from notifications on upcoming… [ Keep reading ]

Recipes for Procurement Excellence: Check Out the Seattle Procurement Cookbook!

Winning a government contract can be a game-changer for local small businesses. But confusing and inefficient processes can keep new firms, as well as small and BIPOC-owned firms, from being successful as City contractors. These inefficiencies also take up valuable staff time and resources. This is why Seattle participated in… [ Keep reading ]

Open Door Policy: How networking events and “warm handoffs” help Seattle recruit and retain WMBE vendors

Many of the City of Seattle’s parks, playgrounds, pools, comfort stations and community centers were built before Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Ever since, local governments around the country have been chipping away at a backlog of renovations to add ramps, widen doorways and install elevators… [ Keep reading ]

Panels as Pathways: How ARTS Turns Grant Review into an Art Form

Cast and crew of Tagalog sa King Street, 2019. Left to right: Ai Lalo, Leah Mitts, Lorna Velasco, Arlo Magpoc, Nina de Torres Ignacio, Pia Rivera, Andrea Castillo, and Manny Golez. Photo courtesy Velasco Arts. If you squint at the bottom of a playbill or art exhibit description at a… [ Keep reading ]

Seattle celebrates progress towards making benefits and discounts more accessible for all residents

Seattle is celebrating progress toward making public benefits more accessible for residents since the expansion of the Affordable Seattle program one year ago. Mayor Harrell announced the expansion of the Affordable Seattle initiative on July 12, 2023, part of his efforts to make City discount and benefit programs easily accessible… [ Keep reading ]

Dashing to Results: New FAS Dashboard Improves Procurement Efficiency

The City of Seattle executes hundreds of purchases annually in response to requests from the dozens of departments that make up municipal government. Translating a departmental ask into a contract or purchase order is the job of Purchasing Manager Krista Díaz, who oversees a team of 12 Contract Administrators in… [ Keep reading ]

City of Seattle shares best practices for community-driven design at Code for America Summit

City of Seattle staff with fellow speakers from the Community-Driven Product Management session at the Code for America Summit. Last week, City of Seattle staff traveled to Oakland, CA to present at the 2024 Code for America Summit. The annual Code for America Summit brings together over 1,000 participants to… [ Keep reading ]

On Ramps: How the Seattle Department of Transportation Shook Up Business as Usual in Public Engagement Contracts

If you scrolled on your smartphone while riding a bus through West Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood in 2019, chances are a digital ad popped up to ask for feedback about the impending RapidRide H Line. What’s more, if your phone is set to Chinese, Spanish or Vietnamese rather than English, the… [ Keep reading ]

Data to Action: How Seattle’s P-Patch Program is Growing with Equity

Aishwarya Nair and a fellow gardener identify plants at the Jackson Park P-Patch. Read more about Aishwarya. Walking though Seattle streets, you are bound to pass a Department of Neighborhoods P-Patch community garden, a lush plot of land dedicated to vegetables, herbs, and flowers. P-Patches are so iconic in Seattle… [ Keep reading ]

Seattle Celebrates DATA Act Anniversary

City data leaders gather for a photo at the new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center on Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo courtesy of the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University. This week, City of Seattle staff joined leaders from across the country in Washington, D.C. to celebrate and reflect… [ Keep reading ]