Economics

Denny Way and 7th Avenue N recently got new curb ramps. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

To Stave off Recession Ready the Shovel-Ready Infrastructure Projects

This week's financial news has been grim. With markets getting fleeced by the spreading impacts of COVID-19 and a weak response from federal officials,...

Sunday Video: The Real Problem with “Luxury Housing”

Across North America, people claim that they want affordable housing in their communities while deriding and fighting what they perceive as "luxury housing." A...

Why Urbanists Must Support Linkage Fees and Inclusionary Zoning: A Scalable Policy For Affordable...

Over the past few years a convincing narrative emerged explaining high housing costs in cities. As the narrative goes, urban housing is expensive because...
A rainy downtown Seattle street scene with bus 590 approaching.

America’s Pessimism Isn’t Economic, Stupid – It’s Human 

Economists are trying to figure out the dissonance between a recovering economy and America's deep pessimism. They're looking in the wrong place.
Light rail tracks near a Bellevue parking garage. Sound Transit's expansion timelines are under financial stress due to the Covid recession. (Photo by Stephen Fesler)

Sound Transit Grapples with Recession and Transit Expansion Rebalancing

The double-whammy of a global pandemic and parallel recession has taken a toll on Sound Transit finances. Agency staff have warned that a sustained...
Credit: Doug Trumm

The Case for Rent Control

If you've taken introductory economics, you've likely heard some bad things about rent control. Most economists (e.g., 81%) don't like it. Generally, economists argue...
Patrons eat in a new parklet patio at Gracia in Ballard. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Seattle Considers Thinking About One Day Accepting Permits to Maybe Open Streets to Dining

Seattle will permit restaurants and retail shops to open into traffic-less public streets one block at a time. Two months after the idea was...

Seattle Among U.S. Cities Where Inflation is Growing the Most

It's hard to avoid the topic of inflation these days. Price increases on basic goods are impossible to overlook at most stores, discussion of...