Contemporary development in Downtown Kirkland.
Contemporary development in Downtown Kirkland.

Water rights: According to Crosscut, state legislators want to protect water rights in Washington from Wall Street speculation.

Ban Hummers: Streetsblog did a third-part series on why the electric Hummer is an awful idea (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3).

Induced demand: Virginia’s transportation department says that more lanes on I-95 won’t solve congestion.

Hollowing out America: While New York City may be growing, New York State’s population is dwindling.

No new roads: The “no new roads” fight is alive and well in Washington.

Renovated and reopened: The Seattle Asian Art Museum has reopened in Volunteer Park after expansion work was completed.

American sprawl: A new report from Central Indiana shows just how prevalent the lack of sidewalks has become with sprawl.

I-976 sagas: A King County judge heard arguments for and against I-976’s constitutionality this week ($) with a ruling coming as soon as next week.

Better turbines: Hydroelectric dams are not without their massive negative environmental impacts, but new turbines are much safer for fish and efficient.

Intervening for housing: Los Angeles wants to put eminent domain to use in order to keep affordable housing.

Faster rise: Sea-level rise on American coastlines is happening a lot faster than expected.

Better connected: With Brexit coming into effect, London and Amsterdam plan to make travel faster by high-speed rail in April.

New connections: The Northgate Pedestrian and Bike Bridge project construction has begun.

Federal architecture: The federal administration may put a ban on modern architecture for federal buildings, using instead a classical style.

HQ2 B’vue: About 15,000 Amazon jobs could come to Bellevue in the next few years ($).

Landmarks: New landmarks could be registered in Capitol Hill.

Bay Area struggles: The Bay Area has failed to deliver on completing megaprojects for affordable housing for a long time, but at least a major San Francisco waterfront development for housing got approved.

Article Author

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.