Civics and Culture

Couches and chairs provided area to relax for patients.

Kirkland’s New Mental Health Crisis Center Top Contender for Levy Contract

Kirkland Connections is a new 24/7 mental health crisis center that could prove a model for the five crisis centers a county levy approved and funded in 2023. Such services are rare in the region.

Sunday Video: Why Living by Freeways Is Terrible for Your Health

In this video, CityNerd's Ray Delahanty digs into the public health effects of freeways. Pollution impacts fall most heavily on people who live near freeways.
A protester stands just to the right of a gaggle of protesters. A line of police officers approach.

Op-Ed: Those Maimed by ‘Less Lethal’ Weapons Oppose Re-arming Police with Them

The Seattle City Council is set to vote Tuesday to formally re-authorize use of "less lethal" crowd control weapons, like the blast balls that seriously injured folks like me in the summer of 2020. It sends exactly the wrong message around police accountability and reform.

Sunday Video: Give Amtrak Cascades The Upgrade It Deserves

High-speed rail as in investment in Cascadia remains a popular policy idea, but Reece Martin of RMTransit makes the case for prioritizing higher-speed rail upgrades to Amtrak Cascades.
The Capitol building in Olympia is marble colored and include pillars and a dome in the classic style.

Rolling Out The Urbanist 2025’s Advocacy Agenda and Early Events

The Urbanist unveils top advocacy priorities for 2025 and offers some ways to get involved.

Sunday Video: Utrecht and Fake London Weren’t Always So Different

Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes compares Utrecht, Netherlands and London, Ontario, showing how both cities became car-oriented in the mid-century era. However, Utrecht uniquely undid the damage, becoming a city highly oriented around pedestrian, bike, and transit infrastructure.
Sunset out of an Intercity Transit bus window in Thurston County.

Op-Ed: Washington State Should Allow Riders to Serve on Transit Boards

Transit advocates are gearing up to pass House Bill 2191, which would allow Public Transit Benefit Authority boards across the state to create voting seats for transit riders. The bill came up just short last session.

Seattle CID Development Authority Expands into Beacon Hill, Fighting Displacement

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) is seeking to anchor communities of color in place in and around the CID, with Beacon Pacific Village its latest housing project.