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 BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Last week, King County celebrated the start of construction on a $37 million project to upgrade Bellevue's Wilburton Trestle and create one of the most pivotal and scenic spans of the Eastrail. The Eastside walking and biking trail will ultimately stretch 42 miles between Renton and Woodinville.
Amending the Mayor's final proposal for a transportation levy, committee chair Rob Saka has revised the proposal by increasing funding for new sidewalks, freight mobility, and electric vehicle charging.
The Urbanist sat down with State Rep. Jessica Bateman, who is running for the Washington State Senate pledging to bring the same urgency around housing issues that she has brought to the lower chamber.
The councilmember stewarding Seattle's next big transportation levy says his goal is prioritizing all modes at the same time. It may be hard to square this approach with pressing climate goals and an urgent traffic safety crisis.
After building over 40 miles of protected bike lanes since 2015, the City of Seattle only promises around 10 additional miles through 2032. The potential for extra projects depend on additional funding beyond the mayor's levy proposal.
The Seattle Department of Transportation's project delivery is ramping up in 2024. What does that tell us about where the department is heading under a new levy?
The location of future light rail stations in South Lake Union has been the subject of intense debate among Sound Transit boardmembers. The agency's staff are officially recommending that the alignment not veer off course despite pressure from Vulcan, Amazon, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Seattle could hit the brakes on implementing an energy code that's much more stringent than the state code, in the hopes of getting more housing units into the development pipeline.