November 20, 2025
UW Livable City Year’s Partnership with Pacific County Receives International “Partnership of the Year” Award
In recognition of a three-year collaboration with the University of Washington designed to drive community-centered innovation, the Pacific County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) has been honored with the 2025 Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N) Partnership of the Year Award.
The award celebrates the outstanding impact of the PCEDC-University of Washington Livable City Year (LCY) partnership, which has produced transformative work on critical community issues. Over three academic years, the PCEDC-LCY partnership supported more than 20 integrated projects spanning housing, economic development, land use planning, climate resilience, transportation, and public health.
“LCY should be very proud of their partnership with Pacific County ECD,” said Gavin Luter, EPIC-N’s Managing Director. “It shows what is possible when innovation-seeking communities work alongside civic-minded universities to achieve something collectively that neither can do on their own. It is refreshing to see universities asking what they can do to help a community strengthen its economic foundation. We hope that other universities and communities emulate this kind of a partnership using the EPIC Model.”
This EPIC-N award places the PCEDC–LCY partnership alongside notable past Livable City Year collaborations while marking one of the most comprehensive rural partnerships in the program’s nine-year history. Faculty and students from across the University of Washington collaborated closely with Pacific County staff, municipal partners, and community stakeholders to address urgent and long-term regional needs.
A list of all the LCY-PCEDC partnerships can be explored here. Below is the summary of the work so far:
Housing & Land Use Planning: The partnership produced countywide housing analyses, comparisons of land-use policies, visualizations of developable land, and assessments to support infill development and long-range growth planning.
Economic Development & Revitalization: Collaborative projects explored opportunities for downtown revitalization, sector-specific economic strategies, adaptive reuse of facilities, and possibilities for strengthening coastal and marine industries
Transportation, Infrastructure & Environment: Work included feasibility studies for regional mobility, analysis of emerging infrastructure needs, and environmental planning approaches to support coastal resilience and sustainable rural development.
Public Health & Community Well-Being: Projects enhanced data visibility, assessed local health needs, and supported countywide efforts to improve community health and access to services.
Across all themes, the partnership generated tools, visualizations, policy recommendations, and scenario analyses that Pacific County agencies are using to inform planning, secure grants, and support community-driven decision-making.
“This award is a testament to the people of Pacific County and the power of collaboration,” said Jeanne Brooks, Board President of the Pacific County Economic Development Council. “By working with the University of Washington’s Livable City Year program, we’ve been able to tackle projects that matter most to our communities — from studying the feasibility of ferry service to planning for future housing and revitalizing our downtowns. These efforts strengthen our foundation for long-term growth and livability, and we are proud to see that work recognized on a global stage.”
About Livable City Year: The University of Washington’s Livable City Year program connects local governments with students and faculty, matching projects with student teams to solve real-world problems. The program was launched in 2016 in collaboration with UW Sustainability and Urban@UW, and with foundational support from the UW College of Built Environments, the Department of Urban Design and Planning, UW Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and the Association of Washington Cities.
About the Pacific County Economic Development Council: (PCEDC) PCEDC’s public and private partners are committed to projects that strengthen the economy, provide opportunities, and encourage local investment.
About EPIC-N: The Educational Partners for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N) provides resources and connections for schools with similar community partnership programs. All 38 schools in EPIC-N’s international network work together with cities to improve livability and sustainability for their communities. More information is available here.
