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Whether pushing for a car-centric waterfront or failing to deliver on electric shore power, the Port of Seattle’s commitment to sustainability is an open question It’s impossible to ignore a cruise ship docked on Seattle’s waterfront.  Recently, a behemoth Princess Cruise ship bound for Alaska – the Ruby Princess – towered over Terminal 66, reaching heights equivalent to a 15-story building. If the Columbia Tower, Seattle’s tallest building, was laid on...

Unleash Seattle’s New Industrial Zones

Through May and June, Seattle’s City Council will be considering a comprehensive rezoning of the city’s industrial lands. The changes are a...
A no turn on red sign in downtown Seattle with Rainier Tower building in the background

No Right Turn on Red Is Now the Default in Seattle

Not allowing drivers to make a free right turn at a red light, or a left turn from a one-way street, will...
Maren is smiling and wearing a blue scarf.

Maren Costa Builds Council Run on West Seattle Roots and Climate...

Last week The Urbanist took a peek at how the Seattle's Council District 1 race is shaping up, and former Amazon tech...

State Transportation Budget Passes Over Aurora Avenue Safety Project

After including a much-celebrated $50 million allocation for Seattle's deadliest state highway, Aurora Avenue N, in the 2022 Move Ahead Washington transportation...

Bellingham and Seattle Balance Urban Forestry with Housing Needs

What is the value of the row of trees that sit along your street? Cities in Washington are working to give those trees...

Heroes and Zeroes of the 2023 Washington State Legislature

Single family zoning will soon be a thing of the past for most Washington cities thanks to passage of statewide “missing middle”...

Sunday Video: Is Coffee Bean Soup?

While a non-trivial portion of Emerald City's economy (and, honestly, personality) is coffee based, we don't often take the time to consider...

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The Capitol building in Olympia is marble colored and include pillars and a dome in the classic style.

The Urbanist Podcast: Heroes and Zeroes 2023

In this week's episode, podcast host Ray Dubicki discusses the Heroes and Zeroes of the recent state legislative session with Urbanist Executive Director Doug...

The Urbanist Podcast: What We’re Reading

Sometimes we feel a modicum of shame that we're not reading enough books. As the pile on the nightstand gets taller, the guilt grows....

The Urbanist Podcast: Time to Talk About Washington State Taxes

Every one knows there are two things you can't escape in life, death and taxes. While I'd add a few more items to that...

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The Urbanist Events

The Urbanist May Events Calendar

Okay, we are quickly approaching the first 70-degree day in over six months, so it's time to start thinking about trees and transit and...

What is The Future of Wallingford?

Wallingford 4 All invites you to build a vision of new neighbors at an April 26th meetup. The gardens of Wallingford are blooming! Purple, yellow...

Join Us Tuesday for Talk with Councilmember Andrew Lewis

On Tuesday April 11th, Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis is our guest for The Urbanist monthly speaker series. Lewis won election in District 7...

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