Features

The One Seattle Plan Needs a Bold Alternative 6 

Seattle has grown much faster than planners and policymakers predicted, which means our planning framework needs to be nimble. Every ten years Seattle makes...

Missing Middle Housing Reform Returns for 2023 Legislative Session

Housing abundance is returning as a big policy issue in the 2023 Washington legislative session. On Tuesday, Rep. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) filed her eagerly-awaited...
The low bridge stands at dusk with the high bridge above it, and a cyclist is coming off the bridge and is blurred by motion

Seattle Plans Emergency Bike Lanes as Spokane Street Bridge Remains Closed

In response to the indefinite closure of the Spokane Street Swing Bridge, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced Tuesday that it would be...

How a Forgotten Plaza Can Become Tacoma’s Connected Heart

Tollefson Plaza in downtown Tacoma confounds me. It’s an attractive space next to a bustling university campus and an art museum. It is adjacent...
An aerial view of a enormous highway crossing the Columbia River, a rendering from 2013

Washington State Is Losing Control of the Columbia Interstate Bridge Replacement Megaproject

Restarted by Governors Inslee and Brown in 2019, the IBR has been on a glidepath toward repeating the mistakes of the failed Columbia River...

Street Cafés Becoming a Permanent Amenity in More Puget Sound Cities

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember, but prior to the onset of the Covid pandemic, street cafés, sometimes called streateries, were few and far...
Picture take from Kirkland facing downtown midrises and City Hall

Google Planned New Sustainable High-Rise Campus in Kirkland

Update: On January 20th, 2023, the City of Kirkland announced that Google will not be proceeding with the sale of the Lee Johnson site...

Redmond’s Aggressive Code Update Imperils 2,500 Homes Planned Near Overlake Station

Redmond has a grand vision for the Overlake neighborhood, which is set to get light rail by 2025. Redmond land use policies have funneled...