Recent Posts

Sunny opening day of the T-Line with people waiting for a streetcar to arrive.

Becoming a ’15-Minute City’ Could Be Within Reach for Tacoma

Panelists at a recent Tacoma On the Go event laid out ways that the Grit City could break car dependence and become a city of walkable 15-minute neighborhoods.
A five-over-one building on Broadway in Seattle with ground floor retail

Bill Curbing Mandates for Ground-Floor Retail Spaces Advances at Legislature

Intended to reduce barriers that are preventing lower-density commercial buildings from getting redeveloped into housing, Senate Bill 6026 would target mandates for storefronts in new housing projects. After concerns were raised around impacts on neighborhood vibrancy, the proposal was scaled back ahead of its first committee vote.

Op-Ed: State Lawmakers Should Hold Amazon, Microsoft Accountable for Supporting Fascism

Amazon and Microsoft benefit handsomely from a tax loophole in the Workforce Education Investment Act. State lawmakers can end this tax giveaway to boost higher education funding. These tech giants donate millions to curry favor with the Trump administration and garner contracts in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The I-5 view from the Lakeview Boulevard bridge looking north with bumper to bumper traffic at dusk.

Op-Ed: Revive I-5 Is the Missed Off-Ramp from Car Dependence

Revive I-5 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reduce car dependency and encourage transit, walking, rolling, and biking, but the Seattle region is letting it slip between its fingers. It's not too late to fix that, opines Kadie Bell Sata.
Ferguson stands at the lectern with Brown over his shoulder. Both wear suits and ties.

Washington State Reacts to Feared ICE Invasion, Constitutional Crisis 

Elected officials in Washington state are being forced to prepare for the possibility of a similar ICE invasion as Minneapolis has endured. Immigrant and civil rights advocates are worried steps to prepare have been insufficient. Officials say they are prepping further actions.
Rico is a Black man with braids and a button up shirt posing in front of the Seattle skyline

OPCD Further Trims Corridor Upzones in Newly Unveiled Seattle Zoning Maps

Zoning maps for 30 new neighborhood growth centers, a handful of urban center expansions, and narrow transit corridor rezones dropped on Thursday. With the patchy current vision driven by the Harrell administration, new Mayor Katie Wilson has pledged to come back and expand the plan once a supplemental environmental study is completed.

New Burien Council Takes Potential Neighborhood-wide Downzones Off the Table

The close vote earlier this week was a strong signal of a change in direction for Burien, which saw a 5-2 moderate council majority flip to a 4-3 progressive one last November.

Op-Ed: Why Housing Abundance is Key to Fighting Climate Change

Building more dense housing within vibrant walkable neighborhoods is a key climate strategy, argues IPCC author Michael Gillenwater. The Seattle Comprehensive Plan could further those opportunities.