A street in Boston. (Credit: Photo by author)

Side streets: Why should cities be upzoning side streets?

Garbage: Seattle and King County are suing each other over garbage ($).

Success: San Diego’s extended light rail is already proclaimed a success.

Nudges: Even where plastic bag fees and bans are prohibited, cities can use other nudges to reduce their use.

Greenwood mixed-use: A five-story mixed-use building is replacing a former restaurant that burned down.

Southern route: A coalition in North Dakota is lobbying for another Amtrak route.

$95 million: Seattle funds another $95 million in affordable housing projects.

Missing middle: Governor Jay Inslee is backing legislation to legalize more missing middle housing.

25 actions: What are 25 actions that Cascadia could take on climate in 2022?

Creating crisis: Aspen has put a heavy block on virtually all new housing development.

Worker shortage: Amtrak has a national worker shortage ($) and could be in an even tighter bind in January, which could slow service recovery.

Swimmable: Paris is planning to make its river, the Seine, swimmable.

Endless expansion: California and Nevada agree to widen I-15 near the border.

A first: Progress is happening on St. Petersburg, Florida’s first bus rapid transit line.

Carbon neutral 2050: President Joe Biden has made new commitments to make the federal government carbon neutral by 2050 ($).

Transit access safety: Why can transit access be unsafe for deaf and blind riders in Seattle?

Driverless shuttles: University of British Columbia is trialing driverless shuttles.

Septic systems: Fixing septics tanks is key to shellfish health in Puget Sound.

Downtown PDX projects: Bike Portland highlights nine bike and transit projects for Portland’s city center in 2022.

Flight-free: Sweden has a flight-free movement.

Rent control: Vox’s Jerusalem Demsas talks why she now supports rent control.

Ammonia pollution: A new study shows that drivers are responsible for more ammonia pollution than previously thought.

Berlin: How has Berlin transformed as an increasingly better urban city to live in?

Farewell DeFazio: Representative Peter DeFazio, a major national transportation policy leader, is retiring.

Energy standards: The European Union is expected to set stringent energy minimum standards for existing buildings.

Fast clip: In the last decade, Seattle grew at a faster rate than its suburbs ($).

Bad transpo policy: State legislators want to rob the general fund to subsidize niche car interests.

Chief of Streets: Boston has a new Chief of Streets who will focus on moving the city beyond car-centricity.

Compact cities: A study underscores the importance of compact cities in fighting climate change.

Lower VMT: New York City’s congestion pricing study shows that it would dramatically reduce vehicle miles traveled.

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.