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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 ]

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 ]

No Drill Sergeant Required: How Public Art Boot Camp Helps Early Career Artists Get in Shape

In nearly every profession, there is a chicken and egg problem: experience helps applicants get a job, but without the first job, how does one acquire experience? Public art is no different in that regard. Public art, and the art world overall, are predominately White in terms of administration, policy,… [ Keep reading ]

Northeastern University students use Seattle open data to research solutions to advance energy efficiency

On March 22, City of Seattle staff joined graduate students and faculty at Northeastern University to kick off the “Needle in a Hack Stack” Hackathon competition at Northeastern’s campus in the heart of South Lake Union. The hackathon presented students with a set of problem statements to choose from to… [ Keep reading ]

Audit Your Way to the Top: How Seattle IT Maximized WMBE Spending

The City of Seattle has a long legislative track record supporting equity in contracting and creating intentional efforts to ensure that women and minority-owned business enterprises (WMBEs) receive their fair share of public contracts. A City Council ordinance established this goal in 2004, and multiple mayors have reaffirmed it since… [ Keep reading ]

Data to Action: Seattle’s Winter Weather Response Map

Seattle is famous for many things: world-class coffee, hospitals, music, tech, outdoor recreation, the list goes on. We are also a famously difficult place to go out driving in the snow. Anyone who has braved our steep hills during a snow or ice storm knows that our landscape makes for… [ Keep reading ]

Seattle’s unified benefits application tool recognized by Anthem Awards

CiviForm, the City of Seattle’s unified benefits application tool, was recognized today with a 2024 Anthem Award. The program makes it easier for residents to find and apply for multiple City discounts and benefits in one place. It received a Silver Award in the Humanitarian Action & Services – Product… [ Keep reading ]