University of Washington: A Resilient Future Starts Here. Online Master of Infrastructure Management and Planning. Apply Now. Image description: A highway interchange with a city skyline and suspension bridge in the background.

Politics and Government

The Urbanist Spring Events Calendar

Now that the Vernal Equinox has passed, thoughts here at The Urbanist turn to thinner socks with our Birkenstocks and other rites of spring....

The Urbanist Podcast: Seattle’s Light Rail Expansion

It is simultaneously exciting and trying times for transit in Seattle. Over the next few years, dozens of new stops will open in Bellevue,...
The view down 5th Avenue S with the King County Jail and skyway passage.

Sound Transit Board Backs Last-Minute Proposal to Skip Chinatown and Midtown Stations

The 4th Avenue Shallow and Shallower and Midtown station options remain in contention, but with Mayor Harrell warning against "false hope." In a marathon five-hour...

It Is Time For Sound Transit’s Board of Directors Meeting

How to watch and comment at today's system expansion discussion. After a lot of discussion and plenty of competing visions, it is time to hear...

The Legislative Budget Season Begins in Olympia

WALeg Wednesday starts eyeing up the looming disagreements as the legislative session moves to finances. In This Digest: Important Bills At A Glance Weekly Focus: A First...
Jackson Street with two pedestrians crossing at 5th Avenue next to the protected bike lane. The Chinatown station is in the background.

Sound Transit is Not Ready for Its Big Chinatown Station Decision

At a public meeting on Thursday afternoon, the Sound Transit Board of Directors intend to select preferred station locations for the light rail system's...
The Capitol building in Olympia is marble colored and include pillars and a dome in the classic style.

Legislature Abandons Rent Stabilization Push

Partnering with Republicans on housing supply may have helped doom tenant legislation. Last Wednesday marked a major deadline for bills in the Washington State Legislature,...

Images from Ballard Commons’ Reopening, in All Its Imperfect Glory

On Saturday, the fences came down and the green space at the center of Ballard was reopened. Closed in December 2021 so the city...