Opinion

Washington state leaders should take action to force the closure of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement penal colony in Tacoma, which is carrying out the unlawful detention of 1500 people.

Seattle renters are largely locked out of cost-saving and comfort-improving clean energy appliances, like heat pumps, induction stoves, and solar panels. Sightline's Emily Moore argues that newly inaugurated Mayor Katie Wilson could help change that, in part because Seattle owns its own electric utility.

With 46,000 workers commuting to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport every day, Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa shares the Port of Seattle's plans to improve transportation options and encourage transit use.

Washington State is forcing Kitsap County to re-do its Comprehensive Plan for lack of low-income housing, ignoring wildfire risk, and neglecting safe streets requirements. The do-over is a chance to turn away from sprawl, writes Travis Merrigan.

Funded inclusionary zoning unlocks the benefits of inclusionary zoning while offsetting its harms. It’s a path to more market-rate housing and more subsidized affordable housing. While funded inclusionary zoning risks creating a dangerous rift in our pro-housing coalition, amending this policy to allow for funded in-lieu fees would sidestep this issue, argues Ron Davis.

Cities should overhaul their approach to plazas to create places where people can really belong and linger, argues urban researcher Jae Seong Cho, who points to the shortcomings of Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Plaza and Los Angeles’ Grand Park to illustrate his point.

People experiencing homelessness face huge hurdles to owning dogs and other pets while navigating social services. But Caleb Sinéad Shapiro argues it doesn't have to be this way.

Tabling a second light rail tunnel through Downtown Seattle and redesigning Ballard Link to use the existing tunnel could save $4.5 billion, and Sound Transit has been too quick to dismiss the idea, Scott Kubly argues. The money saved could reduce delays and fund important transit upgrades elsewhere.