Home Zone Program

Home Zone Program Background

A Home Zone is a neighborhood that supports and encourages active travel, play, and community building. The vision for a Home Zone is a set of neighborhood streets where traffic speeds and volumes are low and people of all ages and abilities feel safe, comfortable, and welcome walking and rolling – whether they are heading to work, school, the grocery store, or a friend’s house.

We work with communities to identify and map neighborhood priorities related to safety, comfort, and accessibility for people walking and rolling. Using these priorities, we all work together to develop a Home Zone Plan which identifies improvements like traffic humps, traffic circles, low-cost walkways, painted curb bulbs, and street closures. We also work to incorporate design elements like street trees, street art, and quick-build planting strips that improve residents’ quality of life. Projects are typically constructed the year after they are finalized in the neighborhood’s Home Zone Plan.

To learn more about the history of the Home Zone program, see the Home Zone Program Background 

Home Zone Program Goals

• Create neighborhood streets that are safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities

• Identify and document neighborhood concerns related to traffic safety such as speeding and cut-through traffic

Neighborhood Engagement

Home Zones are a community-driven effort. We prioritize neighborhoods based on the City of Seattle’s Racial and Social Equity Index and mileage of missing sidewalks. We also partner with other programs like Safe Routes to School, Neighborhood Greenways and Healthy Streets, and the Pedestrian Program to identify opportunities to coordinate planned projects.

We begin outreach by developing a Steering Committee, which meets regularly with City staff to provide ongoing input on the Home Zone process and proposed projects. Steering Committee members also help spread the word, lead community walks, and assist with neighborhood outreach. Serving on a Home Zone Steering Committee takes time and effort. We recognize that this can act as a barrier to participation, particularly for those who do not have the time or resources to dedicate several hours per month to developing the Home Zone. To help alleviate this barrier and further the goals of our Transportation Equity Framework, we have set aside funds to compensate members of our Steering Committees. Learn more by reading this brief on Home Zones and Compensation.

We use different engagement strategies to meet people where they are and make it as easy as possible for community members to participate in the Home Zone process. Some strategies like community walks and community workshops require more time and commitment to attend. Other strategies, like online surveys and one-on-one conversations allow neighbors with more pressing time commitments to make sure their experiences and needs are reflected in the final Home Zone Plan.

Serving on a Home Zone Steering Committee takes time and effort. We recognize that this can act as a barrier to participation, particularly for those who do not have the time or resources to dedicate several hours per month to developing the Home Zone. In order to alleviate this barrier, encourage participation, and further the goals of our Transportation Equity Framework we have developed a brief on Home Zones and Compensation.

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