Data-informed, community-led: guiding Bellingham's housing strategy
City of Bellingham
PRR conducted a public opinion survey about housing needs, priorities, and preferences. The survey results informed updates to the housing elements of The Bellingham Plan, guiding policy and budget decisions.
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The Situation
Ensuring an equitable housing future in Bellingham
As Bellingham grew, the City needed to plan for housing that met diverse community needs while complying with new state zoning laws. Yet traditional engagement often underrepresented those most affected by housing challenges. Without inclusive, representative input, housing policies risked reinforcing inequities, making it essential to gather broad community perspectives to guide equitable planning and investment decisions.
The Opportunity
Designing an inclusive, data-driven approach to housing engagement
PRR paired rigorous data collection with equitable community engagement. By combining randomized, address-based sampling with focused outreach, partnerships, and a bilingual online survey, PRR helped the City improve the representation of historically underserved community member voices in the final sample. The team developed a polished, public-facing report and online PowerBI dashboard so the City could meet the joint objectives of easy access to survey data and accountability in their decision-making processes.
Results
Expanding representation and community voice in housing decisions
The project expanded who participated in housing planning, increasing representation from historically underheard communities through targeted outreach and equitable sampling. As a result, the City gained more accurate, actionable insights into resident needs and priorities. These findings directly informed updates to The Bellingham Plan, shaping policies and investments that better reflected community preferences and supported more equitable housing outcomes as the city grew.
Explore the work:
