The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), operated by Port of Seattle (Port), has one of the longest-running Sound Insulation Programs in the United States with the first installations dating back to 1986. Despite being a top U.S. airport, SEA is landlocked by seven cities and spans a mere 2,500 acres. Since 1986, the Port has completed over 9,400 single-family homes and six condominium complexes within the current and prior Noise Remedy Boundaries (NRBs). In the past few years, some residents with sound insulation packages expressed concerns that, due to a range of potential factors, including age or durability, their sound insulation packages may no longer be effective. In response, the Port began an in-depth assessment of the previously installed insulation packages.
The assessment involved extensive community engagement to collect information from property owners. This was a highly technical assessment in which the key input would be average homeowners’ and tenants’ feedback. The guiding principle was to design processes to capture and analyze good, usable data. Critical to the outreach and assessment was to eliminate barriers of engagement from residents. Using plain language, visuals, and providing the material in the seven most common languages, the Port was able to make share simplified information and create a seamless feedback loop. The survey went to approximately. 3,200 homes and had a 33% response rate, which is considered excellent participation for this type of survey.
The outreach consisted of a pre-survey postcard and three rounds of survey request letters. The Port utilized an 11 x 17 print format, which enabled two language translations per side. The multi-language approach made it more accessible to the community and visually conveyed our effort to break through language barriers and with inclusivity. As a technical assessment of the conditions of people’s window and door products, photos and plain language were used to capture critical data. By using a photo, people were able to identify if they had the described condition by selecting Yes/No, and then note the quantity on the next question. This approach was for three common glass conditions. We also created two opportunities for the individual to add up to ten photos and a narrative if they felt they had conditions not covered in the survey. These equity methods enhanced our data collection as they highlighted nuances with the product that we would have otherwise missed.
In conclusion, what the Port demonstrated is that by centering and embedding equity and environmental justice, you improve your data, enhance your processes, and uncover potential blind spots which lead to stronger outcomes for your project.