Land Use

Could Preserving Affordable Rental Housing Stop Displacement in Seattle?

As Seattle City Council debates legislation that would require additional housing affordability contributions from developers, big questions have emerged about whether efforts to preserve...

City Council Takes Up Electric Vehicle Charging Legislation

On Monday, the Seattle City Council officially designated a new landmark. Known as the Broad Street Substation, the property and building provide valuable electrical...

Tacoma Says ‘Yes’ to Cottages in its Backyard

Residents of Tacoma largely support a change to the municipal code that would make it easier for home owners to add a secondary living...

The Promise and Potential Pitfalls of Google’s Smart City in Toronto

Sidewalk Labs is Google’s (ahem, Alphabet’s) secretive department focused on developing ‘smart cities.’ In 2017, the company was awarded an opportunity to reimagine the...

Mountlake Terrace Sets Sights on 12-Story Buildings

The City of Mountlake Terrace is working through a subarea planning process to update the city's "town center" as light rail begins its reach...

‘Tech Trash’ versus NIMBYs: Final MHA Hearing Lays Bare Seattle’s Generational Divide

The final public hearing on citywide implementation of Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) was long and contentious. Hundreds of speakers waited for hours to present...

Seattle Planning Commission Remains Steadfast in Support of MHA

As the City Council debates Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) amendments in the lead up to next Thursday's big public hearing on MHA, the Seattle...

American Cities Deserve Better than Disposable Urbanism

It is hard to want something you’ve never had. It’s hard to describe a need you’ve never seen. Numerous cities in the US are not...