Op-Ed: Washington Legislature Must Break Boeing’s Corporate Handout Addiction
Boeing has taken in billions in tax breaks from Washington State, but still lays off workers all the same. Nonetheless, state lawmakers are pushing to include a loophole to a new tax to shield Boeing yet again.
Op-Ed: Why We’re Taking Burien’s Minimum Wage to the Ballot Box
Raise the Wage Burien is bringing together a coalition of workers, community groups, and labor unions to gather petition signatures to put a measure on the ballot this fall to raise Burien’s minimum wage to parity with nearby cities like Tukwila, SeaTac, Seattle, and Renton. In contrast, the city council's version is riddled with loopholes.
Streetcar Project Could Kickstart Downtown Recovery
The Downtown Seattle Association and new SDOT head are seeking ways to jumpstart the shelved Center City Streetcar project, such as a Cultural Connector...
Bellevue Council Update: Deficits Create Difficult Budget Decisions to Come
King County's second largest city began its budget season on Monday evening with a foreboding presentation. With lagging property tax revenues, increased demands for...
Policy Lab: Why Are Seattle Restaurants So Expensive?
Seattle service workers are set to get a major wage hike, unless restaurant lobbyists get their way. But policymakers can support the restaurant industry in better ways than simply cutting worker pay.
The Urbanist Podcast: Time to Talk About Washington State Taxes
Every one knows there are two things you can't escape in life, death and taxes. While I'd add a few more items to that...
Urbanizing the Economy
In a previous article, I wrote about vertical farming and the technology’s ability to urbanize agriculture. Vertical farming facilitates the urbanization of agriculture with...
What the 2018 Population Estimate Tells Us About Flattening Rents in Seattle
Seattle rents appeared to have flattened beginning late last year. Since then, as subsequent rent surveys strengthened the pattern, the consistent explanation has been the...