Civics and Culture

Reviving community court isn’t a simple fix for Seattle’s criminal legal system — pre-filing diversion programs are more effective, cost less money, and avoid the harmful consequences of prosecution. Here's one Seattle City Attorney candidate's plan.

The arts have been key to Seattle bouncing back from the pandemic, helping to fill vacant storefronts, but finding affordable spaces to house art and the artists who make it remains a challenge. Artists are hoping a longshot bid to repurpose the abandoned El Rey Apartments could provide an anchor.

King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay and Rian Watt make the case for a more inclusive urbanism: "To fully realize the transformative promise of urbanism, we must be willing to ask: urbanism for whom?"

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called for an internal report after police took heat for disrupting a pro-LGBTQ counterprotest and shielding anti-trans protesters. Given a long-running pattern of police failures, the process must be public and rigorous to make a difference, Seattle City Attorney candidate Rory O'Sullivan argues.

In May 17th grand depart, 138 people attempted a 700-mile mountain bike route from La Push to Tekoa, Washington, dubbed the Cross-Washington or XWA bikepacking race.

Nathan Vass shares what inspired him to write his second book, Deciding To See, which just came out. A King County Metro bus operator and supervisor by day, the author has a release event at Elliott Bay Books on Friday night.

Take The Urbanist's second installment of crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.

The way cities conduct public outreach and local elections stacks the deck against homebuilding, tenants, and people of color, research shows. But it doesn’t have to be this way.