Walk safer: Are signalized walk signs making walking worse? Ben Ross thinks so. In the same vein, Ross says that careful jaywalking saves lives.
Actively banned: Munich has cracked down on short-term vacation rentals like VRBO and Airbnb, but the city government is concerned that the laws aren’t enough; city officials want neighbors to turn in violators.
A no-go: The massive Civic Square tower project looks dead.
No coal trains: The US Army Corps of Engineers have sided with the Lummi Nation, a tribe near Bellingham, who objected to a new coal terminal; the project, which would have been the largest coal terminal in the US, is dead.
Keeping tabs: Berlin and Hamburg will require landlords to disclose previous rents.
Host city: Seattle will host the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games.
The biggies: Curious what the 25 largest construction projects are in the Puget Sound? Take a look at this slideshow.
Re:Take: Local historian Robert Ketcherside takes a deep look at the unique past of Capitol Hill’s Ward House.
Winning neighborhoods: A look into which types of neighboorhoods win by building affordable housing.
By force or choice: Are Americans choosing unwalkable neighborhoods or are they settling for them?
A shared resource: Sound Transit staff are advocating for all subareas to contribute toward a new Downtown Seattle transit tunnel on the basis that an expanded system without it would fail.
Discouraged: With the recent update to the Bike Master Plan Implementation Plan, Capitol Hill and the Central District lost out on promised improvements.
What’s the right mixture?: One author wades into some of the challenges and solutions to mixing different household incomes.
Lies and damn lies: The Seattle Times made a boneheaded lie this week ($) about Sound Transit wastefully spending on opening day ceremonies for University Link; Capitol Hill Seattle brilliantly pointed out that media like The Seattle Times will be buoyed by more than $1.8 million in marketing and advertising money by the agency this year.
Neighborhood creativity: 15 projects that could make Central Seattle streets and sidewalks safer.
Historic rights?: The University of Washington won its case in lower court to knock a historic building on its Seattle campus without the permission of the City of Seattle. Now the university is moving forward with demolition, but the City is appealing the case.
Food competition: Another grocer wants to take center stage in the redevelopment of Capitol Hill Station; this time it’s Portland-based New Seasons Market.
Fun streets: An intersection in D.C.’s Chinatown is going to get a very unique dragon and zodiac paint treatment to embellish the street.
Keep it simple: Yonah Freemark points to a Boston project and says that frequent service, not escalator access, is what attracts transit users.
Sneak peek: What the new towers at the Washington State Convention Center expansion area could look like.
Zoned out: A D.C.-based Tumblr blog showcases all of the city’s former retail buildings turned housing.
Map(s) of the Week: Where all of the middle class Metros in America are now.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.