Data

Measuring Success on the Urban Villages Strategy, Part 1: What It’s All About

Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 in a three-part series on measuring the success of Seattle’s urban village strategy. For the the 22 independent indicators,...
Seattle Pacific Medical Center is a brick art deco building atop Beacon Hill dating backed to 1932.

285 Reasons Seattle’s Zoning is an [Unfunny] Joke

Strangely, it is very difficult to answer the question: "How many zones does Seattle have?" That alone suggests an uncomfortable answer. The Seattle Municipal Code...
A map shows the district boundaries: District 1 is West Seattle, District 2 is Southeast Seattle, District 3 is the Central Area, District 4 is Northeast Seattle, District 5 is North Seattle, District 6 is Northwest Seattle, and District 7 is Magnolia, Queen Anne and the downtown core.

2020 Census Includes Some Surprises for Seattle Council District Redistricting

Ahead of the 2023 election, the seven Seattle City Council districts are set to be redrawn using 2020 U.S. Census figures to rebalance each...
A mother and her two sons walk on a pedestrian path between a row of townhomes. She wears a headscarf and her older son wears a Lebron James jersey. The younger is on a skateboard.

License Plate Readers Proliferate in Washington, Bringing Concerns over ICE Overreach

Automatic license plate readers have proliferated across 81 cities in Washington State, and audits have shown federal agents and anti-abortion states are using Washington plate data to hunt abortion seekers, immigrants, and refugees. This is despite state sanctuary laws intended to shield such vulnerable populations.
A lawn with concrete steps ringed by trees with the shiny new towers of Downtown Bellevue rising above in the background.

East Link TOD: Housing Growth Picks Up in Downtown Bellevue Ahead of Light Rail

We're starting our transit-oriented development (TOD) series in Downtown Bellevue. Check out how the Eastside's highrise capital has been growing, with 13,000 homes recently added or in development, in anticipation of East Link light rail's arrival on April 27.

Sunday Video: Why Do So Many Americans Super-Commute?

For decades, super-commuting has been a growing trend in many American metropolitan areas. Ray Delahanty of CityNerd digs into the data of where super-commuting...

What Housing Shortage?

Why do Seattle rents continue to rise to higher and higher levels of unaffordability? A new narrative has taken hold to explain this: the housing...

Map of the Week: Access and Choice to Grocery Stores in Seattle

Human settlements are built on the bedrock of food access. Without adequate sustenance, urban environments cannot flourish. People will travel long distances to ensure that they are...