The Northlake Commons Regional Bioswale treats more than 2.6 million gallons of roadway runoff, protecting salmon and improving local water quality.
Embracing water on urban sites can be transformative. The newly launched Seattle Public Utilities Beyond Code Program aims to infuse projects with additional funding to tackle a crucial water issue in our city, roadway runoff. Hear from three leaders: Amalia Leighton Cody (Toole Design), Nicole Kistler (Seattle Public Utilities), and Rachael Meyer (Weber Thompson) in a Q&A-style discussion, who are actively making a difference through this innovative program that’s slowing and cleaning toxic runoff with vibrant, nature-based solutions.
What impact do you hope the Beyond Code program will have?
Amalia: I hope the program continues to demonstrate how public infrastructure can deliver multiple benefits to City departments, public agencies, developers, and the broader community. The rigor and commitment SPU has invested in the Beyond Code program, especially its ability to leverage financial contributions to support innovative public space design, makes it possible for stormwater control and treatment to be visible, functional, and integrated into the urban landscape. That kind of innovation is very exciting.
Nicole: The vision is to live in a healthy urban environment built in harmony with nature, places where our kids can swim in the lake and eat healthy fish. Every time we build something new in the city, it’s an opportunity to install projects that make our waters cleaner and our city a better place to live. This isn’t something we can leave for our kids to do.
Rachael: Incorporating green infrastructure benefits everyone, not just building tenants or owners. Installing these solutions in the city addresses the highest pollution levels where salmon are most affected, often near bridges and roadways dominated by asphalt and concrete. These interventions reduce harmful impacts on fish and create visible improvements for people. Each project creates a ripple effect that benefits both occupants and the surrounding community.
Rachael Meyer, Nicole Kistler, and Jeremy Febus leading a tour of the Aurora Bridge Bioswales during PNW Climate Week
Why is this program important to you?
Amalia: This program matters to me because it brings years of work on green stormwater infrastructure and transportation projects to life. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with professionals shaping the policies and design guidance needed for implementation, and now those efforts are aligning. It’s inspiring to see collective work turn into real change that benefits both people and the environment.
Nicole: I was a varsity swimmer and love swimming outdoors. Seeing a new Orca calf with her pod always makes me feel optimistic about the future. Puget Sound is her home, and I want the homes we build to help make her home healthy and beautiful too.
Rachael: I love sharing this story because it’s hopeful, shows real results, and inspires people to connect with nature in the city. While we are collectively causing this problem, we can also collectively solve it. Each time I share these solutions, more advocates step forward, and they in turn inspire others. Our network of #swaleinfluencers is growing every day!
Keep the conversation going and be sure to join the 2030 District on October 16, 2025, at Northlake Commons to hear from the SPU Beyond Code team and tour the site’s regional swale.
Q&A Bios
Amalia Leighton Cody, PE, AICP, is the Director of Engineering for the Western US at Toole Design Group, a firm specializing in multimodal transportation and public realm infrastructure. She is passionate about developing creative solutions that reimagine public processes and programs to deliver innovative projects. Throughout her career, Amalia has collaborated across disciplines to shape policies and practices that guide the allocation of public space, particularly within streetscapes. Her favorite projects bring together scalable stormwater and transportation strategies to enhance safety, promote public health, expand access, and support resilient, thriving communities.
Nicole Kistler has 25 years of experience working creatively and collaboratively to shape urban landscapes toward a healthy future. Whether through public art, policy writing, and landscape architecture, she inspires community imagination and helps people envision cities in harmony with natural systems. At Seattle Public Utilities, she brings this approach to the Beyond Code Partnership Program, encouraging developers to think bigger in stormwater design and create places that benefit everyone.
Clean water advocate Rachael Meyer is a leading voice in the Green Stormwater Infrastructure movement and has been at the forefront of developing partnerships between private developers and public utility departments. Deeply committed to addressing and mitigating the impacts of polluted stormwater on the environment, her work includes integration of sustainable landscapes, green infrastructure, and stormwater reclamation systems on private developments in the Pacific Northwest. As Weber Thompson’s Director of Sustainability, she oversees the firm’s sustainability initiatives focusing on health and wellbeing, carbon reduction, and stormwater management. As a Landscape Architect in this role, she sets a precedent among architecture firms, underscoring the importance of integrated design to address climate change.