All signs point to Seattle's pilot program limiting car access to Pike Place being a success: sales were up 6.5% in 2025 compared to 2024, and the number of local visitors jumped by 5.6%. As the City considers permanent changes, a pedestrianized Pike Place still has its detractors.
Dignitaries cut the ribbon this week on 235 low-income apartments next door to Northgate's light rail station. Phase 2 of the project, for the remaining five acres of King County Metro's land, is stuck in planning limbo.
The City of Everett has maintained its own independent transit agency since 1969, but merging with Community Transit is likely to bring major benefits for the city's transit riders. Thanks to a 2025 change in state law, the move won't require a public vote.
A plan to add 21 on-street bike and scooter corrals in a joint effort to keep sidewalks clear and maintain visibility at intersections has been reduced to just 3 corrals. Neighborhood business advocates raised concerns around aesthetics and parking removal, despite a limited impact on legal spots.
The report, produced by Got Green, asserts that 95% of Seattle Housing Authority units have unmet maintenance needs. SHA refutes its findings, painting a rosier picture of Seattle's largest affordable housing provider.
The Urbanist newsroom discusses April headlines, like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson expanding Bicycle Weekends, 300 transit advocates marching to save Ballard light rail from the chopping block, and pushback against a Capitol Hill crisis case center.
Transit advocates will march from Ballard to Smith Cove to draw attention to Sound Transit's plans to jettison this section of light rail, promised in the ST3 ballot measure.
Join The Urbanist and other grassroots organizations for an April filled with advocacy and social hours! Among our events: the Save Ballard Rail march on April 19, our Seattle social on April 23, and our Redmond meetup April 30.
Join The Urbanist and Complete Communities Coalition for a housing rally on April 6, pushing for a bolder Seattle Comprehensive Plan that promotes affordability and abundance.
Join The Urbanist for our March socials, including riding the 2 Line across the lake with us on March 28th!
Completion of the full 2 Line has brought Bellevue so much closer to the rest of the region. That's set to provide Bellevue's slate of elected leaders, transformed to match the city in recent years, with major opportunities to advance progressive citybuilding.
As one of the region's most exclusive cities, 3,000-resident Medina's building code is already very restrictive about what can be built. The new regulations add setback requirements and fully eliminate a height bonus program that had existed for years, all in the name of improving "bulk and scale."
Since 2010, Mercer Island has added just 549 housing units in its "Town Center" on the doorstep of a brand new light rail station opening this weekend. State intervention could force more housing to get built, but a big opportunity has been missed so far.
The City of Everett has maintained its own independent transit agency since 1969, but merging with Community Transit is likely to bring major benefits for the city's transit riders. Thanks to a 2025 change in state law, the move won't require a public vote.
At an April 14 rally in Everett, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin repeatedly stressed that finishing the light rail "spine" to Everett and Tacoma would be their top priority, while backing a plan to defer getting to Ballard.
Steps from Shoreline North Station, a hodgepodge of publicly owned properties are being eyed by neighborhood advocates as a badly needed community gathering space. With City and State support, the idea is quickly taking shape.
Pierce County is set to consider an ordinance on March 24 that would prohibit a new ICE detention facility within its unincorporated areas. On March 3, King County passed just such an emergency ordinance. Advocates hope officials can do more to block illegal detentions.
A new lawsuit against the Northwest ICE detention center in Tacoma underscores the abusive conditions detainees face. Meanwhile, some local cities are seeking to block ICE’s plans to expand detention facilities in the region.
The Pierce Transit Board is considering a ballot measure in November 2026 that would boost funding to expand bus service, make routes more frequent, and create new connections to light rail. Two advocacy leaders make the case for this measure.
The Urbanist newsroom discusses April headlines, like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson expanding Bicycle Weekends, 300 transit advocates marching to save Ballard light rail from the chopping block, and pushback against a Capitol Hill crisis case center.
The Urbanist newsroom discusses the big opening day for Sound Transit's crosslake 2 Line, how we got here, and what it means for the future of light rail expansion in the Seattle region.
The Urbanist's Ryan Packer, Amy Sundberg, and Doug Trumm discussed recent news out of Olympia, candidate campaign rollouts, and King County transportation funding woes.
