Doug Trumm
Doug Trumm is publisher of The Urbanist. An Urbanist writer since 2015, he dreams of pedestrian streets, bus lanes, and a mass-timber building spree to end our housing crisis. He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington in 2019. He lives in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood and loves to explore the city by foot and by bike.
Council President Sara Nelson and Councilmember Rob Saka unexpectedly skipped a housing committee meeting Wednesday, holding up 14 appointments to the shorthanded Seattle Renters Commission. Councilmember Alexis Rinck sharply criticized the "disrespectful" move, as did several nominees.
On July 10, more than 200 transit advocates raced a Route 8 bus on foot from Dexter Avenue to Stewart Street, and came out on top. They're demanding bus lanes to make the bus faster than walking.
On July 12, Cascade Bicycle Club hosted its annual Seattle-to-Portland bike ride, and local Youtuber Best Side Cycling tackled the ride in one day on a Brompton and documented the whole experience. The video is a great introduction to the 207-mile ride, which is in its 46th year.
Former Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez is one of six finalists to fill the District 5 vacancy on Council created by Cathy Moore's resignation. Insiders say she is the clear favorite for the appointment.
Summer road work means delays for bus riders, but King County Metro is seeking to design detours to minimize the pain. Some transit riders argue more mitigation is needed.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) just got a bit easier to build in Seattle, as legislation passed in May went into effect yesterday. The reform will help Seattle meet state mandates to make ADUs easier to built. Ultimately, wider middle housing reforms planned in the coming months may prove more attractive to builders.
Seattle has officially surpassed the 800,000 population mark, setting a record high of 816,600 residents in new state estimates released Friday. That marks the fifth year in a row that the Emerald City's growth rate has exceeded 2%, making Seattle one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
The race for King County Executive is heating up, and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci says that she has the edge based on her internal polling. King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay came in a close second in the poll, and King County Assessor John Wilson was a distant third, weighted down by stalking and harassment allegations.