What is a city anyway? Try to answer that; it’s not as easy as you think.

We could say it’s a collection of people united by not just geography but an ever-changing culture, economy, and social practices. We could say it’s the political structures, community organizations and the power dynamics of who is at the table making decisions. We could say it is the on-going accumulation of experiences we all have as we drift within this place, living our lives. We could say it’s the people, some of who are new, some who have been here for ages, and some who are being cruelly pushed out. However you start answering that question, it becomes clear that the definition is complex, messy and hard to pin down.

Whatever a city is, it is always in the process of becoming. Shaping its future requires constant dialogue among us all. We need a place for that dialogue. And The Urbanist has become that place.

Can you imagine where we would be without them?

They are a team of great writers who inform, provoke, and inspire.

They are super nerds about policy and history, who happily go deep into the details and explain what others miss.

They are bricoleurs who find the cool stuff other cities are doing and examine how we might adapt and transplant good ideas here.

As needed, they poke at elected leaders or other power players when they fail to act for the well-being of people and planet.

They are hopeful activists who help organize us around solutions that will improve lives.

In some ways, it’s a miracle that The Urbanist exists at all. It’s hella hard work, powered by mostly volunteer energy. Their written pieces are consistently high quality and thought-provoking. How do they do that, day after day, when most of us are exhausted and worried and maybe feel like being snarky and cynical?

While The Urbanist is mostly known for its high quality journalism and hot takes on local issues, the organization also has been striving to expand our event programming. The goal of our programming is to provide educational opportunities for people in our region about its history and the policy decisions that are shaping its future.

We hope to provide a forum for people to hear from and ask questions of the elected officials, policymakers, and thought leaders who are shaping the conversation. We also want to build community amongst people who care about the future of our region. One of the satisfying things about urbanism in Seattle and events like what we do is seeing people connecting issues of housing affordability, transportation options, racial equity, climate justice, and others and see them as all part of one big picture. We hope that our events can be places where people who may focus on different issues can come together and find help forge a vision of what we want our community to look like.

One of the main ways we have done this is through monthly meetups – we had a meetup every month in 2018 with attendance ranging from 25 to 60. At every meetup was a guest speaker who shared what they are working on and thinking about and took questions from the audience. Our speakers this years were:

January: Kelsey Mesher – Cascade Bicycle Club (Now with Transportation Choices Coalition)
February: Kathy Nyland – Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
March: Katie Wilson – Transit Riders Union
April: State Rep. Noel Frame, 36th Legislative District
May: Shaun Scott – Filmmaker, Writer, Activist (and now Position 4 City Council Candidate)
June: Matt Hutchins – MOAR (More Options for Accessory Residences)
July: Lorena González – Current Seattle City Council member, Position 9
August: Tim Harris – Real Change newspaper
September: Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Activist Panel
October: Don Blakeney, Downtown Seattle Association
November: 350 Seattle Activist Panel
December: Bryce Yadon, Futurewise Policy Director

The Urbanist is a community-driven resource, reporting on a range of urban issues in our region. In addition to its online reporting, The Urbanist’s events and community building opportunities provide valuable spaces for community-building and education offline.

The Urbanist’s events such as monthly meetups and walking tours are opportunities for the community to connect and engage together on urban issues, creating space that facilitates learning and idea sharing. I value their walking tours that give community-members a first hand look at our growing and changing landscape. Walking tours provide the community an opportunity to learn about the policies and design that shape our city — our present and historical racial and social inequities, and current land use and transportation investments — and collaborate on solutions that will create a healthy and thriving city for all.

The Urbanist occupies a unique and valuable space to convene community members around our region’s history, present-day challenges and opportunities, and to inspire policies and actions that result in a better future. And their work is all volunteer based. Each member brings a true commitment to making our region people centered as we continue to grow. I hope you’ll consider supporting the Urbanist.