Economics

The domed Olympia Capitol Building stands in the distance with a bus stop with a passenger waiting in the foreground. A dogwalker also mosey on the lawn.

Op-Ed: Legislature Should Close the Family Foundation Loophole for Estate Taxes

Washington State's current estate tax contains a loophole that shields estate funds that are in family foundations, showcasing the privilege of the very wealthy. The state legislature should close this loophole to reduce the need for draconian budget cuts.
The outfield bleachers at T Mobile Park with the skyline and blue skies in the background.

Good Urbanism, not Event Surges and Quick Fixes Will Spur Downtown Recovery

This month, Seattle has hosted some of its biggest events of the summer and local pundits are busy writing the first draft of history....

Amazon Job Estimates Fill in Gaps About Housing Downturn

In the summer of last year we discovered that Seattle’s population growth rate had fallen for the first time since 2010, according to state...

Your Friendly Neighborhood Industrial Use, An Introduction

In this series of four articles, I am going to lay out an argument that Seattle should mix industrial uses in our residential and...

Over 90% of Seattle’s New Buildings Are Mixed-Use or Multi-Family

The City of Seattle released new construction data on January 15th and it shows a remarkable amount of new building. There were 8,311 housing...

Repeating The Case For Inelastic Land Supply

A month ago, I made the case for why urbanists must support linkage fees. In response, Dan Bertolet at Smart Growth Seattle argued that linkage fees...
Mayor Durkan with Ferris wheel and Seattle waterfront in background

Mayor Durkan’s Budget Raids JumpStart Payroll Tax for $100 Million Pledge to Communities of...

Mayor Jenny Durkan launched her next skirmish with Seattle City Council today as she released a 2021 budget that skimmed revenue from the their...

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...