After Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s budget proposal emphasized fiscal discipline, the balancing package from Budget Chair Dan Strauss adds more than $50 million in council priorities for 2027 alone, spending down reserves in Jumpstart and other funds to make one-time investments.
Unanimous votes this week mean that Community Transit will take over operations on Everett's local bus system next April, setting in motion a 50% expansion of service by 2031. The move will also bring a unified transit network that will benefit riders across Snohomish County.
Though the Seattle Council closed off the path of city-level challenges to Comprehensive Plan updates this summer, Lin's forthcoming bill would make an exception for a pair of appeals that have been active since last year. He frames the move as helping to put the issues to rest.
Oversight is not always enough when it comes to Seattle's public safety departments, which consume a majority of the City’s General Fund. SPD and SFD often get special privileges, allowing them to play by their own rules.
Progressive Nilu Jenks has won a Seattle City Council seat based on the decisive 17-point lead she ran up on election night. She laid out urbanist-minded goals in a victory speech.
Democrats are on course to pick up more seats in the Washington State Legislature, even in former Republican strongholds. The popularity of the millionaires tax seems to have helped Democrats and hurt Republicans hoping to turn it into a wedge issue.
Join us for a canvass for Seattle City Council candidate Nilu Jenks on Sunday, a social with House Our Neighbors on November 12, and our Winter Holiday Party!
Join The Urbanist for our end of year party and fundraiser. Hear from urbanist electeds, mingle with local advocates, and celebrate The Urbanist's work!
Urbanist Socials and an opportunity to support Urbanist Endorsed Seattle City Council Candidate Nilu Jenks into office!
The Urbanist is hosting two events this month, including a October 13 social in Bothell. Plus, we want to help you put on your own social in your area!
Following the death of cyclist James Phillips along Bellevue Way SE on October 15, the issue of safety on Bellevue streets is now top of mind. Over the coming weeks, city leaders will be deciding how much new funding to put to traffic safety over the coming decade.
Beaux Arts Village and its 310 residents might seem like an unlikely place for a state review of housing regulations. But the 2025 law giving Washington's Commerce Department direct oversight of growth plans isn't leaving out any jurisdiction, no matter its size.
Spending scenarios this week presented to the Bellevue City Council would put a potential 0.1% sales tax and new $20 car tab to use funding transportation investments. While the approach is framed as "balanced", business groups are pushing to maintain a focus on cars.
Unanimous votes this week mean that Community Transit will take over operations on Everett's local bus system next April, setting in motion a 50% expansion of service by 2031. The move will also bring a unified transit network that will benefit riders across Snohomish County.
The race to represent North Sound's 32nd Legislative District in the House hasn't been getting much attention, with Keith Scully and Danica Noble sharing positions on many issues. But comments at a recent forum provided more contrast.
While some Mukilteo residents would prefer to see their waterfront fully transformed into a park, this week a 6-1 vote opens the door to a broader array of uses. The move is seen as a first step toward creating a mixed-use district at the city's front door.
Voters signed onto public transit funding measures in both Seattle and Pierce County Tuesday night, with both passing handily. The two measures represent big wins for Pierce County leaders and for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.
Pierce County transit advocates are confident that this is the year they can overcome the history of voters not getting on board with adding bus service funding in the South Sound. If Prop 1 is successful, Pierce Transit plans to ramp up service by 49% in the coming years.
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.
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.
