Economics

Want to Revitalize Downtown? Here’s Eight Ways How

In the spring of 2020, downtown Seattle sat empty. A once bustling and growing core of tower cranes, thriving businesses, and active neighborhoods was...

Seattle Booms Because Amazon Is The Master Of Platform Capitalism

Earlier this month Amazon announced a deal to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash. The news precipitated a $32 jump in Amazon's...

Map of the Week: Every Job in the Puget Sound

Jobs, jobs, jobs. It's all about the jobs. But where exactly are they? Robert Manduca, a PhD student at Harvard University who specializes in sociology, data, and...
Alex Pedersen poses in a suitcoat in a City Hall hallway

Budget Reckoning Has Pedersen Calling for Cuts, Not Corporate Taxes

Yesterday, the Seattle City Council dug into the latest budget projections and found the City is expected to be short between $210 million to...
Downtown Seattle wall with City Hall sign on it and buildings in the background.

Seattle Must Reject Austerity in Response to Covid Recession Budget Holes

The Urbanist joined more than 40 community organizations in signing a letter urging Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle City Council to reject austerity...

Eliminate the Mortgage Interest Deduction: Part Two

America's most regressive social policy has entrenched the racial wealth gap. It's time for it to go. This article is the second half...

Minimum Wage Initiative Launches in Renton, Builds Off Successes in South King County

Hot off the coattails of a resounding electoral victory to raise the minimum wage in Tukwila, a new coalition has formed to launch a...

Holiday Video: How Big Can Cities Get?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJesS4zH2GI Davos Amos ask how big cities can get. Many megacities, largely defined as over 10 million people, are rapidly growing in industrialized countries. But...