Land Use

Downtown Tacoma's stretch of Pacific Avenue hosts the Tacoma Link streetcar. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Tacoma Quietly Rezoned Residential Areas in Latest Comp Plan Update

In late September, the Tacoma City Council approved a large slate of areawide rezones and future land use map designation changes, which primarily affected...

Holiday Video: Regional Governance

https://youtu.be/1mx2lyz-TXY When it comes to cities and regions in America, how do they carryout regional governance?
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...

Sunday Video: Airport Expansion

https://youtu.be/QN5Rnu0-RhE Using London’s Heathrow Airport as a case study, Dave Amos explains the pitfalls and limited benefits of airport expansion.
High speed train models like this were on display at the Cascadia Rail Summit. (Credit: Doug Trumm)

Cascadia’s Courtship of High-Speed Rail

Early this month, a group of more than 100 rail industry professionals and local politicians met on the Microsoft campus to discuss the future...

Pierce County Poised to Be First to Designate Countywide Centers in Puget Sound

Pierce County could be the first county to implement a local option under the Regional Centers Framework, an arm of the Regional Growth Strategy...

New Industrial Lands Committee Could Spark Reform or Add Another Saga to Seattle Process

Last week, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced she is convening an industrial lands stakeholder group to “guide development of strategies to ensure a strong industrial...

Sunday Video: How Bad Planning Makes Wildfires Worse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJiepXtXRX8 Dave Amos explains how a lack of good planning can contribute to worse wildfires.