Legislation approved this month shows a County Council ready to give deference to Girmay Zahilay, the first new executive elected to steer King County in 16 years. The votes greenlit a controversial return-to-office plan and a structural overhaul of the Executive's Office.
Here is what is working well and not so well as Washington State's Growth Management Act celebrates 35 years. Travis Merrigan suggests some reforms to keep suburban sprawl at bay.
Transit Riders Union's survey of nearly 500 people showed the importance of investing in transit and can help guide investments to maximize benefits from the expanded Seattle Transit Measure going to voters in the fall.
The state passed a shared streets law in 2025, and it's time for Seattle to seize the opportunity and reclaim streets for people. Half measures aren't cutting it.
A $406 million budget amendment approved Thursday is intended to get West Seattle Link ready for construction, a key promise in the wake of a Sound Transit board vote last month to rebalance the ST3 plan. Another $16 million advances design work on Ballard Link.
The tragic death of elementary school teacher Christian Salyer underscores that the City has neglected the safe bike network in South Seattle too long. It’s time to change that.
Support The Urbanist, connect with endorsed candidates, and celebrate the hard work of the Endorsements Committee as we approach the primary.
Join The Urbanist for our June 10 housing forum and get your ticket for our Summer Endorsed Candidate Party on July 19. We're also hosting two social hours in June.
Join The Urbanist and other partners for a King County Candidate Forum on June 10th. The Assessor and District 2 races are both hotly contested.
Join The Urbanist for our Cross Kirkland biking tour on Sunday, May 17, and check out other events we have in the month ahead, including a King County housing forum on June 10.
Starting downtown in early 2027, 84% of Bellevue streets that currently have a speed limit of 30 mph or higher will see reductions. This widely supported change sets the groundwork for broader street upgrades, likely to be more contentious.
One year in, the Wilburton rezone is becoming a regional model. Thanks to a funded inclusionary zoning program, Wilburton attracted applications for more than 2,300 apartments, more than Seattle logged citywide in 2025.
With the boost from the expanded 2 Line, Seattle's Link rail system is humming along at 160,000 daily riders, according to new April data. That makes it the busiest light rail system in the U.S.
In remarks to a transportation advisory committee, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin painted a clear picture of the need to increase bus frequencies in the city as Sound Transit advances plans for light rail and the city accommodates significant population growth in the coming years.
Last week, Community Transit operated its last bus to Seattle, with the retirement of Snohomish express commuter Route 424. The agency added the Bellevue-bound Route 908 to replace it, with six other routes seeing tweaks.
A proposal to close a $34.5 billion gap in the voter-approved ST3 plan is on a fast track to a Sound Transit board vote on May 28. Developed by Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, it would prioritize completing the regional rail "spine" while deferring and delaying multiple other major projects.
In the year since Tacoma adopted new zoning standards last February, the number of housing permits entering the pipeline jumped by 62% compared to the five-year average.
Thanks to a 0.3% sales tax increase that voters could consider as soon as November, Pierce Transit is touting a plan that would result in 40% more transit service across South Sound. That increase would be a game-changer for a part of the region that has long lagged behind in transit service.
A proposal to close a $34.5 billion gap in the voter-approved ST3 plan is on a fast track to a Sound Transit board vote on May 28. Developed by Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, it would prioritize completing the regional rail "spine" while deferring and delaying multiple other major projects.
KUOW's Soundside recently did a special on Sound Transit system expansion deliberations that heavily featured Urbanist contributing editor Ryan Packer. It's a great primer on the debate about how to best close the agency's $34.5 billion budget gap. Give it a listen!
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.
