Land Use

Snohomish County Selects Two Preferred Light Rail Station Locations, Begins Subarea Planning

Snohomish County has formally identified preferred locations for two light rail stations, between Everett and Lynnwood, planned in urban unincorporated areas as part of...

Midweek Video: The Case Against Single-Family Zoning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajSEIdjkU8E&t=83s In a relatively short video, Dave Amos, the presenter of City Beautiful, examines the problems of exclusive single-family zoning. He challenges the paradigm, urging...

Sunday Video: Skinny Toronto Home As A Prototype

https://youtu.be/PfqXqJxwFfI With a 16-foot wide lot in the middle of a city, what can be done to build a single residence for a family?
Seattle industrial zones have been inundated with big box retail, mini storage, and other non industrial uses. The City's use table and its many exceptions tell us why. (Photo by the author)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Industrial Use, Part 3

The Terrible No-good Very Bad Use Table Over this series of articles, I am laying out an argument that Seattle should mix industrial uses in...

Construction Industry Can Partially Restart, Governor Inslee Decrees

Most construction projects in Washington have been stalled out since mid-March when Governor Jay Inslee deemed the industry largely non-essential, except for critical infrastructure...

Sunday Video: India’s Planned Capital City (Designed by Le Corbusier)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeFF3t41png Dave Amos of City Beautiful takes a look at an Indian capital city, Chandigarh, to explore how two very different city building approaches--Garden City...
The Urbanist took a boat tour in April 2017 of the Port of Seattle, which is a vital engine for the region and a productive advantage for local industry. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Industrial Use, Part 2

How did we get here? Over this series of articles, I am laying out an argument that Seattle should mix industrial uses in our residential...
Gentle density infill development. (Matt Hutchins)

Nine Totally Necessary Evolutionary Changes for Seattle’s Residential Neighborhoods

This is probably the first of a series of articles specifically looking at "Single Family" zoning in Seattle and how we pivot to smarter...