Turncoats: In a unanimous assist by House Democrats, the party is helping Republicans make a raid on the heavily-backed and voter-approved Sound Transit 3 expansion measure, leaving a multi-billion dollar shortfall over the next 30 years.
Wifi kiosks: New York City has launched touch-screen information kiosks in public spaces; the kiosks also provide free public wifi.
No significant impacts: A transportation study shows that the closure of express lanes to Mercer Island for East Link construction will have no significant impacts.
Greening infrastructure: Planners have a new online resource that provides real-world case studies on how to use green infrastructure to mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
Still alive: Multiple carbon tax proposals have been proposed in the Washington State Legislature, but all of them are formally dead for the session; but there is a chance that one of them could become a reality before all is said and done.
Competing arena plans: Seattle has two competing proposals to redesign and upgrade KeyArena to house NBA and NHL teams, which now leaves the SoDo arena proposal as a question mark; AEG and Oak View Group are the competing bidders to redevelop KeyArena.
Endangered: A portion of the Skykomish River is one of America’s most endangered since there could be future hydrologic interventions into the function of the riverway.
FAR out: A new online tool helps visualize how different development standards can affect development capacity of a site.
Housing is health: Why housing policy should be considered a health policy.
No minimums: South of the border, Mexico City is looking to abolish parking minimums.
Innovative infrastructure: The case for making internet part of the Trumpian infrastructure investment plan.
Standing firm: Despite allegations of sexual abuse, Mayor Ed Murray remains resolute in his rejection of the claims and plans to stay in government administration.
Accelerated assembly: Donald Shoup explains how zoning can be helpful in land assembly.
Map of the Week: Research demographer and sociologist Richard Florida has a new map index that measures the American urban crisis; Seattle is oddly absent from the top 20 most socially and economic stressed regions.
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.