The 5 Guiding Principles: The Guiding Principles were created in Phase 1 of the Action Plan process in close collaboration with the Community Advisory Group. They emerged from community priorities voiced in focus groups hosted by University Neighborhood Partners and at public workshops around the corridor. These principles hold the plan accountable to what matters most to Westside residents and serve as the chapters of the Emerald Ribbon Action plan.

1. Celebrate the rich ecological and cultural diversity of the corridor.
   Center nature and the ecological health of the corridor while also celebrating the rich cultural vibrance of the Westside’s people.
2. Connect the corridor into surrounding streets, trails, and waterways.
   Improve trails, intersections, and water access points to create a true mobility corridor that makes it easy to get around within and in and out of the neighborhood.
3. Cultivate collective care of the corridor.
   Cultivate collective ownership and care of the corridor, rethinking the management approach that exists today.
4. Create a safe and vibrant destination
   Bring more activity and energy to the river’s banks and the corridor’s parks, so long as it is supportive of a healthy natural habitat. To do this, a public safety strategy that ensures people feel safe and welcome on the corridor is paramount.
5. Restore and enhance the river ecosystem as a peaceful refuge.
   Restore and enhance the river’s ecological health (and work to make the river swimmable and fishable in the future)!