Features

In remarks after being sworn in as Seattle's 58th mayor, Katie Wilson painted a vision of improving the daily lives of residents that was explicitly urbanist: focused around livability and ensuring that no one gets pushed out of the city.

84% of Washingtonians offered a $1,200 instant rebate on a new e-bike this spring followed through and made a purchase, compared to just 24% of those who were offered a $300 rebate. The lessons learned during the first rollout of the program are likely to shape the next round of incentives.

Sound Transit's analysis, prompted by a request from King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, looks at ways to get to Ballard without a new tunnel under Downtown Seattle. While the potential cost savings could be as much as $4.5 billion, the idea of delaying Ballard Link even further on top of significant risk factors makes additional consideration by the board unlikely.

In a 6-3 vote, Seattle City Council approved a police guild contract that falls short on officer accountability and continues to hinder civilian crisis responders. A parting gift from outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell, the contract could hamstring the incoming administration of Katie Wilson.

Transit riders and elected officials alike celebrated light rail's arrival in South King County, as Sound Transit held a grand celebration to tout its three new stations and cut the ribbon in Federal Way.

As the Sound Transit board approaches the point of grappling with how to rebalance the entire Sound Transit 3 package, transit advocates are urging them to look for new solutions outside of project delays or cancellations.

Katie Wilson will be Seattle's next Mayor. The progressive challenger expanded her lead over current Mayor Bruce Harrell to nearly 2,000 votes in Wednesday's count, and The Urbanist and other local outlets have called the race for Wilson.

Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. President Trump has created headwinds for the project by slashing transit funding and slapping tariffs on Canadian imports.