Christoph Strouse

About Christoph Strouse

I am an urban planner and systems thinker grounded in the conviction that the economy should be regenerative, serving the communities and living systems in which it operates. My work sits at the intersection of equitable development, regenerative economics, and community self-determination, and I bring that orientation to everything from public sector policy to neighborhood-scale organizing.I hold a Master\'s in Urban Planning from the University of Washington, where I also earned my bachelor\'s in Community, Environment, and Planning. My professional experience spans public sector housing policy, institutional sustainability, consulting, and community organizing across Seattle and the Puget Sound region.Currently, as a consultant with Watershed Community Development, I serve as lead planner for the Duwamish Valley Food Hub Plan at the Bend: a four-component community food system integrating a cooperative grocery and food bank, commissary kitchen, neighborhood cafe, and circular food production infrastructure within a 600-unit affordable housing development in Georgetown. That work requires me to hold community vision, cooperative business finance, policy alignment, and cross-sector partnerships together in a single coherent planning framework.Previously, I served as a Housing Planner with King County\'s Housing and Community Development division, where I supported the Affordable Housing Committee\'s policy coordination, comprehensive plan review, and interjurisdictional planning work. Before that, I spent five years at the University of Washington Sustainability Office co-leading coordination of the Sustainability Action Plan across ten executive units, supporting the Carbon Reduction Roadmap, and building planning and reporting frameworks that connected institutional commitments to measurable outcomes.Outside of paid work, I co-founded Circular Pacific Northwest, a community network advancing equitable circular economy practice in the Pacific Northwest bioregion. I help organize the Seattle Donut Economics Coalition and am currently co-leading Regenerate Duwamish, a place-based initiative exploring ecological and social regeneration in the Duwamish River Valley through bioregional mapping and public programming. I think in regenerative urban systems. I care about who benefits, who decides, and whether what we build actually sustains the communities it claims to serve. I am always interested in connecting with others doing this work.

Experience

1. Contract Consultant

   Watershed Community Development

   Jan 2026 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Developed strategic implementation plan, operational framework, and governance model supporting long-term program sustainability and equitable delivery of a mixed use Food Hub- Convened cross-sector partnerships among community organizations, agencies, businesses, and regional food system stakeholders- Conducted policy and best-practice research on equitable food systems, supply chains, and community economic development- Supported funding strategy development through grant alignment, partnership cultivation, and financial sustainability planning for community projects.

Education

• University of Washington

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Community Environment & Planning

  2017 — 2019

• University of Washington

  Master of Arts - MA, Sustainable Urban Planning