Susan’s commitment to sustainable city planning and design is driven by a strong environmental ethic, because magnetic cities have the ability to draw people in, minimize our collective urban footprint, and, in turn, preserve natural lands. She is particularly drawn to the public realm—the pedestrian environments that flow through each city. These sidewalks, courtyards, promenades, and parks form the city’s front door, a great democratizer. and arguably the best opportunity cities have to celebrate people and honor place. For well over two decades, Susan has helped shape these spaces in California and Washington, including Santa Barbara, Seattle, Edmonds, and Olympia, and across the Pacific in Christchurch, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.

Susan championed the reshaping of streets and public spaces during Seattle’s decade-long development boom during her tenure as the Urban Design Manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation. During that time, she also led the Complete Streets program, developed Streets Illustrated—an award-winning and nationally recognized design manual, advanced green street designs across the downtown network and led the pavement to park programs. Most recently, Susan held executive-level planning and economic development positions in both Olympia and Edmonds, managing teams responsible for land use planning, policy, permitting, economic development, and affordable housing.

Susan leverages her expertise in city systems and operations to find feasible solutions to complex urban problems. While in Christchurch, Susan experienced New Zealand’s largest natural disaster in history; she led a team to develop the Central City Recovery Plan after the earthquakes destroyed 70 percent of buildings in the central core. She is keen to share her learnings to help other cities prepare for inevitable change and long-term resilience.

Our Perkins Eastman

Susan is a LEED AP and is a member of the Urban Land Institute and American Institute of Certified Planners through the American Planning Association. She is also a Green Star Accredited Professional with the New Zealand Green Building Council.