Backyard Cottages: The New Bungalows Of The Middle Class
Councilmember Mike O’Brien’s legislation that seeks to encourage more backyard cottages and mother-in-law apartments hit a snag last week, as the Queen Anne Community...
Ten Takeaways From The Growing Seattle Forum
The Urbanist was part of a coalition of organizations that hosted a candidate forum Thursday evening focused on transportation and land use. The six...
Nikkita Oliver Is Our Urbanist Meetup Guest on September 14th
Nikkita Oliver is our featured guest at The Urbanist's monthly meetup on September 14th. Oliver (they/them) is a community organizer, cultural worker, artist, attorney,...
Seattle Council Passes Budget Swiping Affordable Housing Funds to Boost SPD
The Sara Nelson-led Seattle City Council passed their first city budget in an 8-1 vote. It greenlit the mayor’s plan to slash investments in affordable housing and social services and trim 48 staff positions in order to boost police spending by 16% and close a large deficit without raising new taxes.
Op-Ed: Why Housing Supply Advocates Should Support Rent Stabilization
The Washington State Legislature should pass HB 1217 to stabilize rents statewide. This is an important moment for housing supply advocates to show up in support of more stability for tenants.
Recall Shaping Up to Be a Nailbiter as Sawant Trails Early
Polls closed last night in the recall election of socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Initial counts show Sawant trailing by almost 2,000 votes...
Seattle Council Approves Density Bonus, Targeting Areas of Past Housing Discrimination
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck's newly passed "Roots to Roofs" program is a 35-project pilot that lets nonprofit organizations and the Seattle Social Housing Developer tap into additional development capacity, particularly in areas with a history of past racial covenants.
Herbold Announces Retirement Hoping to Pass Baton to Another Progressive
On Friday afternoon, Councilmember Lisa Herbold announced that she is not seeking another term, saying that she hopes to increase the odds that a...