Civics and Culture

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...

Nathan’s Bus: ​The Perspicacious Hairdresser

The accent. I knew him from before. The vowels drawled out in between clipped consonant edges, a straining against the upper mouth, little enthusiasms in...

Tacoma: Getting To Know My New City Through Walking

I moved to Tacoma the last weekend of July. Even as I got keys to my apartment the day after I arrived, my stuff...

City Council Landmarks Key Arena and Grants Greenwood Rezone

On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved a slate of landmarks in Uptown and rezoned a property in Greenwood to facilitate a mixed-use development...

Becoming a Citizen Activist: An Interview with Nick Licata

Former Seattle city council member, Nick Licata is holding a salon on Design and Citizen Activism on August 8th with UW Professor Karen Cheng....

Top Urbanist Action: Ask County Council for Housing Not a Stadium Subsidy

It seemed like a done deal. The King County Council was going to fork over about $190M to pay for Safeco Field maintenance intended...

Sunday Video: An Urban Planner Plays SimCity

https://youtu.be/LUQaCoxybW8 In this extended short, Dave Amos of City Beautiful takes on the old school classic SimCity from the perspective of a professional planner 20...

The Swagger I Love: Thoughts on My Fellow Operators

Yes, they vary wildly in temperament, outlook, attitude...but isn't that what you want in a group of people? Look at them. There are so...