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Founder Owen Pickford reflects on a decade of The Urbanist and urges urbanists to chip in to keep this institution strong. Please make a donation during our spring member drive.
Recent Posts
Harrell Proposes Design Review Exemption for Downtown Housing Projects
Mayor Harrell is hoping to activate downtown through greater housing development and his administration has proposed a design review exemption for qualifying housing and/or laboratory projects in the downtown core to encourage such growth.
Transformative Pedestrian Bridge Opens at Redmond Technology Station
The new Redmond Technology Station pedestrian bridge opened Monday. It will significantly shorten multimodal trips in the Overlake area and provide a direct connection to the SR 520 Trail.
East Link TOD: Housing Growth Picks Up in Downtown Bellevue Ahead...
We're starting our transit-oriented development (TOD) series in Downtown Bellevue. Check out how the Eastside's highrise capital has been growing, with 13,000 homes recently added or in development, in anticipation of East Link light rail's arrival on April 27.
Seattle Levy Proposal Keeps Modest Pace of Building New Sidewalks
250 blocks of new sidewalks was a big win from the Move Seattle levy. Now it's seen as the new baseline, with the 27% of missing blocks citywide being put front and center in the levy debate.
Sunday Video: The Right Bus In The Right Place
American transit agencies often limit themselves in the types of buses that they use, but when is it right to have three-/four-/five-door...
Op-Ed: Reclaiming Tacoma’s Extensive Historic Streetcar Network
Greater Tacoma used to have an enormously expansive streetcar network. With just one line, Tacoma's modern streetcar network has a long way to go to catch up to that rapid transit standard.
Spring Member Drive Kickoff: Celebrating 10 Years of The Urbanist
Please consider a donation as The Urbanist launches our spring member drive this tenth anniversary year. We've come a long way in a decade!
Join The Urbanist for an East Link Opening Party
If you’ve been waiting for this as long as we have, please join us to celebrate, ride East Link, and come hang out at our afterparty at Goose Pub for beverages and food with fellow urbanists on April 27.
Join The Urbanist for Our Monthly Meetup on April 18
Our in-person meetup is at Stoup Capitol Hill every third Thursday of the month from 5:30pm to 7ish. On April 18, we'll again discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
Get Plugged In with The Urbanist’s New Local Events Calendar
The Urbanist’s new Local Events Calendar is the one-stop shop for finding events from a variety of organizations across the region. Readers can subscribe to the calendar so they never miss an opportunity to connect.
More events posts »
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Transformative Pedestrian Bridge Opens at Redmond Technology Station
The new Redmond Technology Station pedestrian bridge opened Monday. It will significantly shorten multimodal trips in the Overlake area and provide a direct connection to the SR 520 Trail.
East Link TOD: Housing Growth Picks Up in Downtown Bellevue Ahead...
We're starting our transit-oriented development (TOD) series in Downtown Bellevue. Check out how the Eastside's highrise capital has been growing, with 13,000 homes recently added or in development, in anticipation of East Link light rail's arrival on April 27.
Bellevue Pursues Long-Term Alternative to Shelved Bel-Red and Northup Bike Facilities
With the idea of creating space for people to bike on busy Bel-Red Road and Northup Way off the table, the only option left on the table is a project to create a new street in Bellevue's BelRed neighborhood sometime in the 2030s.
More Eastside Coverage posts »
Planners Proposed Bigger Upzones Before Harrell’s Team Intervened, Records Show
A paper trail from fall 2023 shows that Mayor Harrell's office overruled his planning department and cut transit corridor upzones and halved the number of proposed "neighborhood centers" before release of the growth strategy.
Urbanist Leader Rian Watt Talks Housing Crisis on Hacks & Wonks...
The Urbanist's Executive Director Rian Watt appeared on Crystal Fincher's Hacks and Wonks podcast on April 9 to talk about the housing crisis. He offered three fixes for the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
Op-Ed: Growth Plan Fails to Put Enough Housing for Workers in...
Cloud City Coffee is an anchor in the Maple Leaf business district. Seattle's growth plan isn't what the city needs to allow its employees to live close by.
More One Seattle Plan posts »
The Urbanist Podcast: Vote Up to the End
It's time to vote for Seattle City Council, a housing levy, and elected positions all over King County. The Urbanist has published its general...
Guest Podcast: Recycling America’s Railroads into Trails
The Urbanist Podcast is on summer break so we thought we'd share with you a guest podcast on a topic near and dear to...
The Urbanist Podcast: All About 2023 Primary Endorsements
Primary election ballots are arriving in the mail and due by August 1st. In the run up The Urbanist Elections Committee has been hard...
More podcast episodes »