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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Berney and Co-Authors Research the Benefits of Streateries in Seattle’s University District

CSDE Affiliate Rachel Berney (Urban Design & Planning) and co-authors published the results of a study of right-of-way adaptations in Seattle’s University District that supported urban resilience during the pandemic in the Journal of the American Planning Association. In response to COVID-19, cities permitted streateries (street eateries), which enabled restaurants to operate despite restrictions on indoor uses, and many persisted after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Berney and co-authors modified and supplemented Seattle’s (WA) Public Life Study protocol to observe and analyze streatery and sidewalk use.  Besides supporting business continuity in a major disruption, streateries and parklets increased low intensity social interactions, chance encounters, and diversity of activities in the ROW, outcomes that correlate with increased social resilience. As a result of this study, Seattle adopted chance encounters as a standard metric in its protocol.

CSDE Winter 2026 Lightning Talk & Poster Session

When: March 6, 2026, 12:30 – 1:30pm PT

Where: 221 Raitt Hall

Please join us on Friday, March 6th for CSDE’s Winter 2026 Lightning Talk and Poster Session from 12:30 – 1:30 PST! The poster session and talk will take place in Raitt Hall Room 221 at the University of Washington. This event will feature presentations from Hugo Aguas (Doctoral Student, Sociology), Yuanxi Li (Honors Undergraduate, Sociology), Aryaa Rajouria (Doctoral Student, Sociology), Natalie Turner (Doctoral Candidate, Social Work), Adam Visokay (Doctoral Candidate, Sociology), and organized by Mingze Li (Doctoral Student, Sociology). We will provide light snacks and refreshments. Please find more information on the event here!

*New* Having It All: Corinne Low (03/03/26)

Join the Wharton Club of Seattle in partnership with the UW Foster School of Business as we welcome Wharton Professor and author of Having it All, Dr. Corinne Low. Moderated by Vivienne Long, UW professor and former CMO of REI. Book copy and light refreshments are included with the admission price.  Tickets for students are only $20 and it includes the book. Tickets for faculty are $35.

When: 3/3/26 from 6-8

Where: UW, Anthony’s Forum in Dempsey Hall, 4273 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle

How: Link to registration

*New* WCPC Housing Roundtable: Exploring the Role of Developers in the Housing Ecosystem in Washington State (03/06/26)

The WCPC Housing Roundtable on March 5, 9:30 – 11 AM will begin with a presentation by Bob Francis (Sociology, Whitworth University) that will make the case for the importance of better understanding developers as actors in housing markets, followed by a discussion about the current local/state policy environment, challenges facing developers of low-to-moderate income (LMI) and multi-family housing, differences across housing markets in the state, and efforts to expand the pool of developers.
Our discussants will include:

UW School of Public Health Center Discovery Expo (03/06/26)

The UW School of Public Health invites you to the UW SPH Center Discovery Expo on Friday, March 6, 2026 from 12 – 2 p.m. at the UW wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House, Seattle campus. RSVP here. 

More than 30 centers and cores are invited to present their research and practice impact in an exhibition poster session format. The expo is our largest demonstration of how our centers create healthier communities in Washington and across the globe.

Why you should attend:

  • Students: Inform, inspire and advance your career by connecting with our research and practice centers that are making real-world public health impacts.
  • Faculty: Network and make valuable connections and collaborations to support your research, practice or training.
  • Research and professional staff: Whether you conduct research, practice, administrative work or more, the expo is a great opportunity for career development and to connect with our community.

UW Earth Lab: Two Upcoming Grant Opportunities (03/06/26)

EarthLab is now accepting applications for two new grant programs (up to $10,000 each) designed to support climate change and environmental justice research at the University of Washington. Applications are due March 6, 2026, at 5:00 pm PST.  Incubator Grants offer funding to nurture ideas and launch partnerships for climate change or environmental justice research and action.  Rapid Response Grants fund urgent data collection addressing emerging climate or environmental justice questions.
 
Key Details
  • Award Amount: Up to $10,000
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Eligibility: PI-eligible UW faculty, staff, and research scientists (all three campuses)
  • Incubator Grants support:
    • Development of research agendas and literature reviews
    • Hosting workshops, meetings, and convenings
    • Conference attendance and presentations
    • Interdisciplinary and community-based collaboration
  • Rapid Response Grants support:
    • Time-sensitive fieldwork
    • Quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis
    • Quick response to emerging research opportunities
Ready to Apply?

The Population Reference Bureau Can Help Publicize Your CSDE-Related Research

Graduate students and affiliates, CSDE encourages you to highlight your research through our partnership with the Population Reference Bureau (PRB)  and its Center for Public Information on Population Research. The topics are varied and the briefs are short. You can see recent examples of their write-ups in this story (click read more).  To get promising articles (published or forthcoming) in the queue,  email mmather@prb.org and copy csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Researchers can also submit items using an online form, but email is fastest and simplest. PRB drafts the summaries and sends them to researchers for approval. However, here is a guide for writing a research brief for those who are interested in writing briefs themselves.