Yearly Archives: 2025

Cities in Washington will have the legal authority to create shared streets, which feature much lower speed limits and put pedestrians first, under Senate Bill 5595. Governor Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law Saturday. It will go into effect on July 27.

Take the third installment of The Urbanist's crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.

Uytae Lee of About Here dives into development fees and taxes, which contribute to a significant proportion of new housing costs. In many North American cities, housing taxes have been increasing much faster than inflation. But why are they increasing so much, what are they used for, and how does this affect homebuilding?

There are two important housing fights coming up next week. Public hearings are scheduled on Monday and Wednesday, and advocates need to ensure Seattle's plan for middle housing keeps advancing and long-promised affordable housing gets built at Fort Lawton, despite pushback.

In the middle of a homelessness crisis, Seattle is still allowing employers to reject qualified job applicants simply because they don’t have a permanent address. That’s discrimination, and the Seattle City Attorney should lead the way in banning the practice.

Summer in Puget Sound means the return of Trailhead Direct, Bicycle Weekends, Seattle's free Waterfront Shuttle, and the Hurricane Ridge Shuttle.

Want a deep dive on the latest in Seattle housing policy? The Urbanist has you covered. Check out this recording and transcript of our April housing panel with experts.

StarChase consists of GPS tracker launchers attached to police patrol cars that can deploy a GPS tracking tag onto another vehicle. The Seattle Police Department contends that acquiring this technology will help apprehend criminals without dangerous high-speed chases, but critics argue StarChase’s efficacy is low and deployment would expand the scope of warrantless surveillance.