Rejecting inaction: In Phoenix, complete streets volunteers resigned en mass in response to inaction by city officials.
Paris Accord in 2018: The United States is pulling out of the Paris Accord at the behest of the White House, but who is still staying in?
Dismayed: Community advocates are dismayed over Seattle’s interim police chief, Cameron Best, being taken out of the running as a finalist and want a restart.
MLT TOD: A large transit-oriented development has broken ground near the Mountlake Terrace transit center ($).
Second city: Recent census data shows that Tacoma is growing faster than Spokane, but has a bit of catching up to do to reach second city status in the state.
Window service: It’s now policy in Portland that drive-through businesses must serve people on bikes, or on foot for that matter.
Out of whack: In the housing price-to-income ratio standings, Los Angeles tops the list for the most out of whack region.
Climate change adaptation: California communities are having difficult discussions about how to respond to climate change and adopted related policies.
Greater affordability: Transit-rich neighborhoods are more affordable places to live.
Supporting entrepenuership: Why cities should support street vendors, not deter them.
Going small and urban: Target will open three urban-style stores in the Seattle area.
Unchoke school buses: Perhaps it’s time to upgrade those yellow school buses for children from diesel-choked polluters to less harmful bus for students and the environment.
Monorail upgrades: Service on the Seattle Monorail could get a boost on the horizon in addition to other changes for capacity ($).
Zoned out: Over half of all new Seattle residents are finding themselves in just 13% of the city’s land ($).
End the tyranny of FPTP: British Columbia will get a vote on proportional representation this year.
Added WS trips: Route 56 in West Seattle could get some extra trips this fall.
Late arrival: Commercial passenger flights out of Paine Field may be delayed after a last-minute by the Federal Aviation Administration assessement was required ($).
Wisdom of vacancy taxes: Are vacancy taxes working to fight blight and spur occupancy or redevelopment?
Chi-Town historic crisis: With demolitions rapidly happening, is Chicago experiencing a historic preservation crisis?
A hurricane disaster: On Trump’s watch, more than 4,600 people died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the hurricane last year.
Neo-redlining: Banks are finding ways to deny mortgages of blacks and Latinos at highly disproportionate rates to caucasians.
Stone age policy: The White House is poised to back a proposal by the United States Department of Energy to prop up aging and obsolete coal polluting power plants.
Stephen is an urban planner with a passion for promoting sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He advocates for smart policies, regulations, and implementation programs that enhance urban environments by committing to quality design, accommodating growth, providing a diversity of housing choices, and adequately providing public services. Stephen primarily writes about land use and transportation issues.
