Collaborative development: South Lake Union parking lots owned by Recovery Café, Cornish College of the Arts, and Bellwether Housing are being sold for redevelopment as a 44-story residential tower; some of them will also be located in the new building.
Tabled: With the Broadway streetcar extension apparently suspended, bike and street improvements appear to be tabled.
#1: Washington is still number one in the nation for biking.
Upsizing: Car2Go is ditching Smartcars ($) in favor of Mercedes-Benz cars in Seattle.
Capitol Hill booming: A Capitol Hill dive known as “Redwood” is finally coming to an end due to planned apartments. On another site in the neighborhood with an existing apartment, a garage building will be redeveloped as a six-story, 19-unit apartment building.
Capping cars: Singapore is planning to cap the number of cars allowed on the city-state’s streets.
On romanticizing cities: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns against romanticizing cities, particularly in respect to racial equity and cohesion.
Tacoma revitalization: 100 apartments will replace a historic-but-burnt-down Masonic Temple in Tacoma.
Economic segregation: Richard Florida explains how high-tech innovation can lead to economic segregation.
Elite access only: Access fees for local national parks could rise significantly next summer.
Free transit: In Dunkirk, France, a mayor made the choice to fund free bus service over a stadium and saw a positive response in ridership.
Economic decline: In many cities, highways have increasing squeezed out taxable land from the roll books.
Belltown tower: Skanska is planning to build a new residential tower in Belltown with 346 units.
Fascist behavior: A group of residents in Burien are trying to expose undocumented residents for deportation.
Landmark worthy?: A former funeral home in Capitol Hill is planned for redevelopment, but the original building could be designated as a historic structure.
Highway revolt: Montlake neighbors are trying to save a beloved grocery store from the wrecking ball; the state transportation department wants the property for its SR-520 expansion project.
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.