Backyard cottage with woman in patio and sunset.

City Launches “ADUniverse” Website for Pre-approved Backyard Cottage Designs

On Tuesday, the City of Seattle rolled out a website called ADUniverse that will offer 10 pre-approved accessory dwelling unit (ADU) designs and other...

Midweek Video: In Search of Effective Pedestrian Malls for U.S. Downtowns

https://youtu.be/-Tg9IMCKa5M In the 1960s and 1970s, pedestrian malls were seen as a way to save struggling shopping districts in cities across America during the rise...

In Praise of Dumb Boxes

One of the more, ummm, interesting complaints about new buildings is that they are "too boxy"--as if their form is somehow foreign and boxy...

To Meet Housing and Sustainability Goals, Seattle Must Streamline Land Use Code

Few things perfectly encapsulate the problems of planning like a city’s land use code. Unlike the building code, which dictates the life safety requirements...

Natural Light In Buildings: NIMBY Rhetoric Or Livability Staple

Cities face a complex web of interconnected problems today — affordability, transportation, safety, livability and many others. Often these problems appear to be in...

A Closer Look At Lynnwood Link Light Rail

Sound Transit will extend light rail to Lynnwood by 2023 with hopes of opening service between Northgate and Lynnwood that year. The 8.5-mile light...

Sunday Video: Why So Many New Buildings Are Covered in Rectangles

https://youtu.be/Ml-ZP-_e_o4 Vox explores why so many new buildings seem to prominently feature rectangular panels as exterior cladding.

Bridge Way Could See First Multifamily Project To Qualify For New Living Building Standard

The Northeast Design Review Board is about to take a look at a proposal at 3825 Bridge Way N that aims to be the...