The new trains feature ergonomic seats, upgraded WiFi, and a sleek new cafe car. They'll go into service on both the Seattle to Eugene and Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. routes. More trains are set to arrive by the end of the year, dramatically increasing Amtrak Cascades capacity.
U.S. Congress passed a major update to federal housing policy in July that builders say could provide a major boost to production. But much rides on implementation and additional funding, as industry experts laid out at a recent panel.
Bus travel times are up to three times faster along a troublesome stretch of Denny Way after SDOT installed red bus lanes all the way to I-5. On Tuesday, Mayor Katie Wilson joined transit fans for a reprise of last year's 'Race the L8'... with very different results this time.
New requirements taking effect in January will add a new $15 per-square-foot fee to housing units over 2,000 square feet. A move to raise that threshold to 2,500, intended to encourage more development, failed 3-4 last week in a vote that could signal deeper divisions on Kirkland's Council.
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Resilience describes the ability of a transportation system to prepare for disruptions, withstand their effects, continue providing essential mobility, recover quickly, and adapt to changing conditions. It asks whether people can still meet their needs when part of the system fails.
Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci are joining the program on September 15. Tickets are going fast, and we still need some volunteers to help facilitate the event.
Get your ticket to our September 15th Town Hall Seattle talk featuring CityNerd's Ray Delahanty and The Urbanist’s Ryan Packer. Attendees will get a sneak peek at a CityNerd video before a deep dive into light rail plans.
Canvass on July 26th, volunteer for good local candidates, and support our election committee’s work at our Endorsement Party on Thursday.
Join The Urbanist for our July events, including a soccer social with Sounder at Heart on July 19 and our Endorsements Rollout Party on July 23.
New requirements taking effect in January will add a new $15 per-square-foot fee to housing units over 2,000 square feet. A move to raise that threshold to 2,500, intended to encourage more development, failed 3-4 last week in a vote that could signal deeper divisions on Kirkland's Council.
In the first six months of 2026, Bellevue saw at least 1,585 new multifamily units enter the pipeline, compared to just 1,137 housing units in Seattle. The numbers illustrate Bellevue's success in spurring development... and Seattle's continued slump.
As a city of 70,000 residents, Sammamish has a dearth of commercial space, and its long-planned Town Center remains half-finished. This fall, the council will decide whether to fully pivot away from that plan and distribute housing capacity to other areas.
A 2.75-mile repaving project will only see around 0.8 miles of new bike facilities, despite a new requirement to repair gaps along the state highway network along with maintenance work. The project illustrates the limitations of that 2022 law.
Two 2026 charter amendments are at the heart of a Republican megadonor's plan to take over Snohomish County. If they pass, it would have rippling impacts on transit expansion, housing growth, and safe streets investments, making it easier for Republicans to block progress.
The draft environmental analysis for the Everett light rail extension will be released September 18, Sound Transit said, thanks to a federal greenlight.
The university’s planned campus design overhaul includes more community-focused green space, space for 5,000 more students, and a residence hall at the heart of campus in downtown Tacoma.
Many years in the making, Pierce County’s coordinated approach to homelessness still faces challenges after being approved by county council in June. With King County partially dismantling its troubled regional authority, Pierce County hopes to avoid the same mistakes.
The 0.3% sales tax bump going onto the November ballot would increase service by around 40% by the mid-2030s, the biggest expansion of transit service in Pierce County in decades. Since May, the proposal has been tweaked to include free rides for seniors.
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.
