Op-Ed: Expanding Tree Canopy Is a Climate Solution and Livability Boost
Bellevue, Seattle, and Tacoma are each working to expand tree protections, but all should go further to expand canopy and adapt to a warming climate.
Op-Ed: Unclogging Seattle’s Water Permit Gauntlet Would Help Address Housing Crisis
Onerous requirements for new water infrastructure that go further than Washington state law are a part of the problem when it comes to encouraging home building in Seattle.
Op-Ed: Higher Wages Are Needed Part of Seattle’s Housing Affordability Solution
The Fight for $15 has been won. Now housing affordability is Seattle’s biggest challenge. Repealing wage standards would be a setback.
Harrell Cuts Social Safety Net to Fund 16% Boost to SPD
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s 2025 budget would cut elsewhere to fund a 16% increase to the Seattle Police Department. The cuts to affordable housing and social services could backfire, undermining public safety and homelessness response.
Policy Lab: Why Are Seattle Restaurants So Expensive?
Seattle service workers are set to get a major wage hike, unless restaurant lobbyists get their way. But policymakers can support the restaurant industry in better ways than simply cutting worker pay.
Op-Ed: Wallingford Can Build a Brighter ‘Seattle of the Future’
The Local Sightings film festival juxtaposed The Beacon, a film about a break-dancing studio fighting to survive in South Seattle, with a film about Wallingford grappling with change and potentially embracing a more inclusive, diverse future.
Op-Ed: Presidential Election Hinges on Housing, Conceptions of the American Dream
Addressing our national housing crisis will require a drastic shift in how we think about housing in our society: it needs to become a basic human right — something we are all entitled to and therefore something our government works to deliver.
Op-Ed: Recognizing Nondrivers Can Spur a Revolution in Transportation and Housing
Nondrivers are more than a quarter of the population, but often an afterthought in policy discussions. Recognizing their needs, as the national Week Without Driving challenge strives to promote, can help improve outcomes for everyone.








