Economics

Uber’s Hollow Promise For Cities

Uber has been in the news lately for offering cities a smidgen of their data on traffic patterns. Like so many things with Uber,...

Breaching Locks and Sen. Ericksen’s Stunt Legislation

With the start of the annual Washington State Legislature session comes the annual parade of stunt legislation. Like the return of swallows to Capistrano...

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...
A pergola shelters a street cafe on Ballard Avenue, with a person biking by in the street.

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 Unfinished Promise of the Center City Connector

Pioneer Square has the most to potentially lose--but also gain--from the connection of Seattle’s downtown streetcar lines. During her daily commute into Pioneer Square...

Washington State Convention Center Expansion Is Not Inevitable

The City of Seattle and the Puget Sound region are growing rapidly. As a result, residents are facing huge spikes in housing costs, overburdened transportation infrastructure,...

Sunday Video: Does My Neighborhood Determine My Future?

https://youtu.be/pu2sKNJMH-k Vox looks at the history of redlining, practices of renting and selling property, zoning practices, public services and investments, and environmental health that collectively...
A triplex in Magnolia. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Conventional Conforming: The Quiet Hurdle to Increasing Density

How Federal Subsidy of Loan Interest Rates Block Missing Middle Housing Earlier in the pandemic, I was searching around Zillow. Looking at houses was a...