Sam Assefa joined for the May meetup as out guest speaker. Assefa formerly served as Director of the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development. In March, he retired from the agency after serving the the city for nearly five years. Assefa looked back on the city’s planning priorities and principles and what is doing now.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.