Committees
Join one of our standing committees. We can always use more helping hands!
Petaluma Urban Chat provides ongoing education for the community through regularly scheduled forums and events. We also engage in advocacy efforts to bring recommended actions to life. Peruse our committees below to see what’s happening, or to lend your expertise.
To get involved or lend your volunteer power please contact committee leads below!
Know Before You Grow . Better Cities Film Festival Petaluma 2023 . 15-Minute Neighborhoods
Public Restrooms . Voice on Development Projects . Mobility Improvements
Have an idea for an effort that falls under the Urban Chat umbrella? Join us!
Know Before You Grow
Through our education committee, Know Before You Grow (KBYG), we host regular forums addressing the four pillars of our mission. We invite regionally and nationally recognized speakers, leaders in their fields, to engage our audience and share their expertise. In 2020 we launched an ambitious campaign to educate the public on elements of the General Plan that as citizens, we can actively influence. In the past year, we have hosted 16 such forums, and we continue in 2022 with a robust slate of speakers and topics.
If you have an idea for a forum that fits within the four pillars of Urban Chat, or you’d like to help with organizing a forum please email Sharon Kirk, SharonKirk @ urbanchat.org.
Better Cities Film Festival Petaluma 2023
An evening of short documentary films that tell inspiring stories about how people have made their cities, towns, and neighborhoods better.
Screening 1 | Wednesday, September 20
Boulevard 14 Cinema, 200 C Street,
Downtown Petaluma CA 94952
Screening 2 | Thursday, September 28
Santa Rosa Junior College,
Petaluma Campus, Ellis Auditorium
Join Petaluma Urban Chat and friends for a fun night of thought-provoking short films relevant to issues and possibilities in Petaluma today. The upbeat films from the national, award-winning Better Cities Film Festival will be custom-curated for Petaluma, with community partner input.
Learn more about the program, buying tickets, and sponsorship opportunities here.
To get involved or volunteer contact Katherine Gregor, KatherineGregor @ urbanchat.org.
15-Minute Neighborhoods
15-minute neighborhoods can improve the quality of our lives by providing easy access to fresh food, goods and services, and places to gather...all within a short 15-minute walk or bike ride! And they are an essential component of Petaluma's future. Without 15-minute neighborhoods, we can't reach the climate, livability, and financial resilience goals that we've set for ourselves.
Petaluma was one of a handful of cities to win a grant from the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team (AIA SDAT) to develop a vision of what a 15-minute neighborhood future would look like in Petaluma.
To volunteer or get involved contact Veronica Olsen, VeronicaOlsen @ urbanchat.org.
Public Restrooms
Urbanism requires reduced reliance on cars, whether the replacement is a bus, bike, or good pair of shoes. But not having a car at hand means that public destinations must meet more human needs, even the mundane ones.
As a result, Urban Chat has begun working with long-time downtown restroom advocate Don Forman on how to improve restroom access downtown and elsewhere in Petaluma. Dan will chair our Public Restroom committee. With Don taking the lead, we'll continue his advocacy for public bathrooms downtown for seniors, people with medical issues, families with small children, tourists, and all of us once in a while.
If everyone who comes downtown is confident that their comfort needs can be met, they'll spend more time and money downtown benefiting the merchants, City Hall, and all of us.
We'll continue meeting with the Mayor, City Council, Parks & Recreation Department, Senior Advisory Committee, and many others to brainstorm upgrading existing bathrooms, locations for new bathrooms, and funding for the essential maintenance and cleaning of public bathrooms.
Anyone who wants to assist in this effort may contact Don Forman, DonForman @ urbanchat.org.
Voice on Development Projects
We also host public forums for designers and developers to introduce their proposed projects to the public. We provide a platform for public discourse, feedback, and advocacy.
For example, Urban Chat was heavily involved in a proposed development adjacent to the future east side SMART station. The project, though introduced as a transit-oriented development, consisted of single-family homes with two-car garages and no accommodation for residents to access the nearby commuter rail service. The negative response was swift and decisive, and ultimately, the project was not approved for lack of support.
A new affordable housing developer has presented a proposal for apartments with shared open space, playgrounds, gardens for residents, and funding for subsidized public transportation access.
To schedule a public forum for your development project, please send email to Dave Alden, DaveAlden @ urbanchat.org.
Mobility Improvements
Urban Chat successfully advocated for road diets on Petaluma Blvd North and South to reclaim this congested and vehicle-prioritized central roadway, the first step toward a safe, balanced, and active transportation corridor. Road diets provide visible progress, gaining support at City Hall, and with members of the public.
If you have an idea for a transportation or mobility improvement project, please email Dan Lyke, DanLyke @ urbanchat.org.