Bellingham city planner to discuss downtown development May 29

Darby Cowles, senior planner with the City of Bellingham, will discuss development plans for downtown Bellingham as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, in Environmental Studies 100 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

In her talk, titled “Community Engagement in the Downtown Plan,” Cowles will highlight a multi-year effort to engage stakeholders in creative and unconventional ways to create a new vision and series of actions to improve Downtown Bellingham. Attendees will learn how early collaboration built a constituency in support of the plan, and will also be given an opportunity to explore how they can initiate and contribute to positive changes to the city.

Darby received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning and Policy from Western in 2002, and has worked in a range of capacities for the City of Bellingham since 2003, including development specialist, energy efficiency grant coordinator, economic development liaison and urban village planner. She is passionate about urban planning as a means to protect the environment while enhancing the well-being of the community.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate. The Speaker Series is intended to bring together environmentall -minded members of the Western and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at 360-650-2554.