Like many of you, Circulate San Diego has been operating remotely for the past few weeks. Staff have adjusted nicely to 0.0 mile commutes, Zoom meetings, and virtual happy hours. We’re proactively adapting the way we implement our programs to meet the needs of our partners, provide quality education and safety resources to the community, and advocate for safe streets.
We'd like to share a few updates on how our team has been able to continue our mission-driven work through established and re-imagined approaches to public engagement.
Be Well!
National City Homefront to Waterfront | KTUA and National City
We continue to support KTUA and National City on the Homefront to Waterfront project. This project takes a comprehensive look at improving connections from Downtown and Old Town National City with the Waterfront to provide better access to jobs, recreation, and transportation up to the edge of San Diego Bay. Circulate is leading the outreach efforts for this project, many of which were designed with digital access in mind. This strategy has allowed Circulate to seamlessly continue project work as we transition to working remotely. We’re currently soliciting public input on recommended improvements and connections via an online survey.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs | San Diego Police Department
We're been adapting our fifth consecutive year of bicycle and pedestrian safety programming with the San Diego Police Department. This program has historically consisted of in-person events such as workshops, student presentations, and hands-on training to creatively educate the community about active transportation safety. We're now developing a unique set of digital deliverables that will engage the same number of people, if not more. Ideas include a video series, activity workbooks, online games, webinars, and a new media campaign. Stay tuned for future online discussions and virtual activities focused on creating safe roads for all users.
Chula Vista Safe Routes For Seniors | City of Chula Vista and Kaiser Permanente
In partnership with the City of Chula Vista and Kaiser Permanente, we're addressing senior mobility issues in West Chula Vista and developing a number of strategies and recommendations that align with the City’s Age-Friendly Communities Action Plan. Luckily, we were able to conduct the majority of our planned in-person outreach with West Chula Vista seniors to collect valuable destination and mobility barrier data. As we transition to a digital platform to wrap up the project, we’re utilizing ESRI webmaps, an online survey, and Zoom webinar to share the final products with stakeholders and City.
Cortez Neighborhood Pedestrian Improvements | Downtown San Diego Partnership and Cortez Hill Active Residents Group (CHARG)
We’re working with the Downtown San Diego Partnership and Cortez Hill Active Residents Group (CHARG) to provide planning and design services to improve walkability in Downtown’s Cortez Neighborhood. Improvements are based on the recommendations from the Cortez Mobility Assessment Report. Our current efforts include digital engagement through social media and Zoom webinars, implementation strategies short-term temporary projects and longer-term planning efforts.
Other Cool Stuff!
We spent much of Q1 engaging new partners including Outdoor Outreach, SD Coastkeeper, Port of San Diego, Caltrans District 11, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego Airport, and local breweries (shout out to Eppig Brewing and Coronado Brewing Company). We look forward to hosting educational and social events with these partners in the near future!
In partnership with the City of San Diego's Sustainability Department, we recently captured portraits of 54 diverse residents who commute sustainability around our region. This photo series creates an illustrative conversation about transportation alternatives and reducing the cultural stigma of active transportation use in San Diego. This series is part of the broader Move Free SD efforts. We hope to share these portraits as a traveling exhibit later in 2020.
Over the last year, we've dedicated more time and attention to our online platforms. We believe social media networks are a powerful tool to stay engaged with communities and share information about current events and issues, like our tips for social distancing while walking and biking or our 12 days of ATP back in December. That leads us to the question, are you following us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook yet? We like to share meaningful content, as well as help motivate residents to reconsider how they travel and become more engaged in mobility issues affecting our communities. Give us a follow, stay involved, and enjoy the content.
As an added bonus, we have curated a Spotify playlist filled with our team’s favorite songs to get you off the couch and out of the house (safely) during this shelter in place ordinance. Enjoy!
