The Urbanist is a great resource for Seattle readers and advocates. They put in the hours to go to planning meetings, read inscrutable public documents, and synthesize what they find along with valuable insights. They bring a lens of curiosity and interest rather than absolutism to the hard questions that face our growing city. They help us stay informed on the issues both big and overlooked that arise around land use and transit in our city.
The Urbanist takes the time to deep dive into issues and ideas that shape the public sphere such as lidding I-5, HALA, and local political races. We know of no primary coverage in Seattle that is as in-depth as what the Urbanist provides–with candidate profiles and tough policy questions that really separate insightful politicians from mediocre ones.
They are at the forefront of tracking what is going on with the Convention Center Addition and are posing very valuable questions: What is the public gain? Is shutting down the bus tunnel worth speeding up a new Convention Center? Questions that have been barely covered, if at all, by traditional media outlets.
They recently brought to light fresh ideas that impacted our work at Seattle Subway. We sat down and reconsidered the frame of some old ideas and realized they were on to something big. The work they do to enable these kinds of insights can help shape our future city into a better place. That is the true power of a community-driven resource like The Urbanist.
We are lucky in Seattle to have such a dedicated group of volunteers as those that staff The Urbanist. A more informed public is a better public. The Urbanist does the hard work that helps us be a better public. Join us in making a monthly donation to The Urbanist to help them keep doing the great work they do.