Stephen Fesler
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.
Dave Amos explores the issue of the dearth of rapid transit expansion in the U.S. over the last half-century. He highlights some unique exceptions and the move toward light rail systems instead. Density seems a key culprit for the dearth of metro systems.
Big box stores have become a common feature of American suburbs most everywhere. Many are still going, albeit it with lower foot traffic volumes,...
Uytae Lee of About Here dives into development fees and taxes, which contribute to a significant proportion of new housing costs. In many North American cities, housing taxes have been increasing much faster than inflation. But why are they increasing so much, what are they used for, and how does this affect homebuilding?
Trams get a lot of praise and criticism among urbanists and urban transportation advocates. Opinions vary wildly on their utility in cities, but Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes makes an in-depth case for why he thinks trams help create better streets, mobility, and land use environments than buses and other forms of urban rail systems at the local scale.
Big box stores are hollowing out North American cities, reinforcing sprawl and driving, destroying local businesses, and financially draining communities. Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes explains all that and more in his latest video.
A proposed 75-cent streetcar fare increase could bring in $100,000 to $200,000 in additional revenue per year. However, without an extension to connect Seattle’s two short lines, the streetcar system faces a bleak future and the need for millions in annual City support.
Snohomish County Council adopted new land use legislation to streamline permitting and remove regulatory barriers to opening more childcare centers and daycares. The state legislature seems to share in that goal and has proposed statewide legislation reducing regulatory hurdles.
Alan Fisher of Armchair Urbanist dives into how San Francisco is ready-made for electric trolleybuses and has a robust network of them today -- just like Seattle. Fisher explains why they're better than battery-electric buses and how, with a little effort, San Francisco could widely expand electric trolleybuses with strategic investments to almost every corner of the city.