Ryan Packer
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle, BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Light rail is finally arriving in Shoreline and South Snohomish County. Local governments have been working toward this day for a long time.
The idea of allowing denser housing near transit is drawing substantial opposition in Kirkland, including lawn signs. However, the proposed Comprehensive Plan language is barely a proposal yet.
The yearslong project to transform the area around SR 520 in Montlake is finally set to open this fall, including several exciting bike and pedestrian facilities.
WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar is asking for a dedicated funding source to fix the most dangerous state highways in Washington, laying down a $150 million per year benchmark.
The City of Kenmore was the first city to pass a resolution officially opposing Initiative 2117. Others have followed, but big cities like Seattle and Bellevue have not weighed in.
A bike and pedestrian tunnel underneath 10th Avenue E has been restored after advocates fought a cost-costing move to drop it from highway lid plans in North Capitol Hill,
Cities across the country are ditching arbitrary requirements around how many parking spaces must be built with new housing, but Spokane is the first major Washington city to take the plunge. Will others follow?
The Seattle Department of Transportation has wrapped up work on a new bike connection between Judkins Park and Mount Baker. Its roots can be traced back to a vision the Seattle City Council moved forward in 2019.