Environment & Sustainability

Rollback of Stricter Energy Code Advances to Seattle City Council

With permit applications for new apartment buildings still down in Seattle, the Harrell Administration is hoping to hit the brakes on a planned ramp-up of additional energy efficiency requirements in new buildings.

Will These Four Housing Bills Pass the Washington State Legislature This Year?

Four land use bills affecting housing are at a critical juncture in the 2019 session of the Washington State Legislature. Both houses have passed...

Sunday Video: How To Build A City Around Bikes Fast

https://youtu.be/h-I6HFQXquU Bloomberg CityLab explains how cities can rebuild around bikes quickly for the Covid and post-Covid era and why it’s vitally important to do so....
an aerial view of Kirkland showing the downtown near the waterfront and some close by residential neighborhoods.

Master Builders’ Association Files Lawsuit Against New Kirkland Tree Codes

On the Eastside, cities are grappling with the often competing desires to grow housing capacity and preserve tree canopy in urban areas. Tension between...
Metro's new 60-foot articulated battery-electric bus. (King County)

King County Purchases 40 Battery-Powered Buses and Ponders Full Electrification by 2035

On Thursday, King County officials announced that new battery-electric buses would be hitting the streets late next year. The county is purchasing a total...
North Bend aerial photo that also shows Mt. Si.

Regional Officials Hit the Brakes on More Suburban Sprawl Near I-90

A meeting of an obscure regional planning body got tense last week as elected officials sparred over the issue of expanding King County's urban growth...

Cutoff Deadline for State Housing, Transportation, and Environmental Bills Fast Approaching

In the past week, the Washington State Legislature has urgently moving bills to the floor for consideration and possible vote out of their chamber of...

Fridaygram: PARK(ing) Day Spaces in Ballard

Today marks the 10th year of the PARK(ing) Day movement, an international event which endeavors to highlight the need for more urban open spaces....