Two events Saturday afternoon in southeast Seattle—one in the far south, the other up north at Franklin High School—highlighted the challenges and opportunities this culturally rich, growing and important area of our city faces.
We kicked off the afternoon with the grand opening of Neighborcare's sparkling, high quality medical and dental clinic in Rainier Beach. Neighborcare is the city's largest provider of health services to our low-income and uninsured residents. They also operate several of our school-based health clinics.
The new Rainier Beach clinic is the first of Neighborcare's facilities to combine dental and medical care at the same location.
We moved to Franklin High School for a Great Cities event focused on the relationship between health, transportation, growth, and public safety. (Much more after the jump.)
I was on a panel that discussed pedestrian options and safety, crime and Jane Jacobs' admonition that more "eyes on the street" is the best neighborhood safety tool. As is typical in neighborhoods that have a high number of crime incidents, people were sometimes discouraged and frustrated with the city government's response. Others focused on the assets of the community and suggested how these could be enhanced. We focused on public education, especially early learning, and the need for interventions that work to lift academic achievement.
I summarized the latest research on effective policing that suggests a shift from the traditional "policing of people in favor of policing place" might be appropriate. You can read more about this emerging theory of policing here and here.
As we drove along Rainier Avenue South through neighborhoods that are thriving and others that struggle, I was reminded of what someone once said about increases in density, change that brings more people and street-level retail—"affordability and quality of life are not contradictory." That's the key truth we need to remember as our neighbors in southeast Seattle dream about and plan for their future.