A five story building with yellow insulation before siding is added.

Editorial: Seattle Should Not Pass Transportation Impact Fees

Facing a housing slowdown, foisting more costs onto new homes to fund a hodgepodge of transportation projects is a terrible idea. The four members of...

How We Got Here: A (Brief) History of Mandatory Housing Affordability in Seattle

Today Seattle City Council is voting on "citywide" implementation of Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA), a form of inclusionary zoning from which single family zones...
An aerial shot of cookie cutter houses in a subdivision.

Urbanism 101: Zoning’s History and Role in the Housing Crisis

Originally hatched as a subtler method to promote racial segregation, zoning ended up planting the seeds of our present day housing crisis. This Zoning 101 guide delves into how that history unfolded.

Issaquah Highlands TDR Deal: Public Comment Continues

Issaquah City Council had a well-attended meeting last night to discuss a major amendment to the Issaquah Highlands, which was detailed yesterday. Local residents were...
The M Tower, the first highrise out of the gates after the U District was rezoned in 2017, rises in the background of this shot of The Ave at NE 50th St. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

We Can Rezone The Ave While Preserving Its Historic Character

Too often, our city has spent years delaying policy with infighting, time that we could spend on collaborative efforts to address our growing housing...

Four Exciting Urbanist Data Points From Seattle’s MHA Study

The City released a large study about implementing Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in all of the city’s urban villages, some urban centers, and many...

Seattle Times Indulges He Said, She Said Displacement Analysis

In an article last week, Daniel Beekman of The Seattle Times outlined two competing estimates of potential displacement due to the upcoming University District rezone. The...

MHA Draft Rezone Maps For All Urban Villages Are Out

We analyzed the five maps the City of Seattle released last month: Aurora-Licton Springs, Capitol Hill, Crown Hill, Othello, and South Park. We also...