Economic justice advocate John Burbank lays out the case for Washington state lawmakers to keep the estate tax, rather than capitulating to pressure to reduce Washington’s rate to avoid a feared exodus of billionaires and multimillionaires.
Ray Delahanty of CityNerd debunks the myth that vacant homes could single-handedly solve the housing crisis, explaining with data why America doesn’t have anywhere close to 15 million homes readily available to fill the national housing shortage.
Katie Wilson may have won the mayoral election, but her challenges are just beginning. Outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell is leaving a budget mess behind him.
Leaders from across the Pacific Northwest recently gathered at the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle and reaffirmed their commitment to building high-speed rail linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. President Trump has created headwinds for the project by slashing transit f
America’s housing crisis is a complex and persistent problem. There isn’t just one reason for the housing crisis, but rather many compounding policy, demographic, and technological reasons that have led to it. In this video, Dave Amos of City Beautiful documents how the country has slow walked into
Railroad giants like BNSF have often deferred maintenance on their tracks and pressured government to pay for it. This had led some officials to consider taking over ownership, like Washington State did with the Palouse River & Coulee City (PCC) Railroad. Collin Reid lays out the case for greater go
Tech workers like me don’t enjoy being a bargaining chip to protect our CEO’s bottom line. And we know better than anyone else that their claims are false: corporate giants can afford higher taxes.
On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to send the Seattle Shield Initiative to voters this November. Sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the proposal shifts B&O tax burden away from small businesses and toward larger ones, raising an estimated $81 million annually to shore up the City budget
Is Everett’s plan to move the AquaSox from aging Funko Stadium to a brand new downtown stadium an economic jolt or a costly gamble? The City of Everett will be leading financing on the project projected to cost at least $82 million.
The mega wealthy are gaining even greater wealth thanks to Trump tax cuts while hundreds of thousands people are set to lose health care, food stamps, child care, and K-12 educational necessities. The Washington State Legislature should pass progressive funding to maintain and rebuild public service
On Wednesday, Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck unveiled a proposal overhauling the city’s Business and Occupation tax that she hopes to put before voters this November – if she can win over her colleagues. Dubbed the Seattle Shield Initiative, it would broaden the exemption for small busi
Uytae Lee of About Here dives into development fees and taxes, which contribute to a significant proportion of new housing costs. In many North American cities, housing taxes have been increasing much faster than inflation. But why are they increasing so much, what are they used for, and how does th
Big box stores are hollowing out North American cities, reinforcing sprawl and driving, destroying local businesses, and financially draining communities. Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes explains all that and more in his latest video.
Boeing has taken in billions in tax breaks from Washington State, but still lays off workers all the same. Nonetheless, state lawmakers are pushing to include a loophole to a new tax to shield Boeing yet again.
A corporate front group is pushing ads seeking to sap support for taxing the rich as the state faces a budget crisis. John Burbank points out the ads are misleading and argues the state must raise new revenue to avoid draconian cuts that will hit the working class hard.
On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell praised conservative billionaires as “smart innovators,” but pledged to push back on federal overreach and advance cybersecurity, telling business leaders: “I will fight for you.”
Despite Governor Ferguson’s hemming and hawing, state lawmakers are advancing a wealth tax that could raise $3 billion annually to fully fund public schools and avert a budget crisis. Passing it would ensure Washington State Democrats are living their values amidst Trump’s assault on public services
With the baton passing from Jay Inslee to Bob Ferguson, Washington’s governor has placed more emphasis on fiscal austerity to solve the state’s looming budget deficit. But some lawmakers are intent on raising new revenue to avoid deep cuts to social programs.
Washington State’s current estate tax contains a loophole that shields estate funds that are in family foundations, showcasing the privilege of the very wealthy. The state legislature should close this loophole to reduce the need for draconian budget cuts.
Public private partnerships have become trendy in infrastructure projects, particularly for transportation. Reece Martin of RMTransit dives into the pros and cons of this strategy as it relates to transit.
Seattle service workers are set to get a major wage hike, unless restaurant lobbyists get their way. But policymakers can support the restaurant industry in better ways than simply cutting worker pay.
Across North America, people claim that they want affordable housing in their communities while deriding and fighting what they perceive as “luxury housing.” A common trope among many is that developers are greedy, wanting only to make top dollar on their homebuilding projects and contribute nothing back to communities. It’
Facing waning demand for office spaces, landlords are weighing housing conversions, with Mayor Harrell and the Seattle City Council aiming to nudge them in that direction with a recently passed package of regulatory incentives. Financial incentives could be next, but hurdles remain.
Seattle has a $258 million budget deficit to solve. Mayor Bruce Harrell said he rejects notions of austerity. Good for him! I’m here to help. Let’s chart a way out of this crisis that doesn’t involve slashing services and laying off city workers.
Ray Delahanty of CityNerd goes through a litany of reasons why car dependency makes American society worse off from public health and environmental quality to public safety and economic security. This video may trigger petroheads.
In a bid to reactivate Downtown Seattle, Mayor Harrell has proposed easing code restrictions in hopes of filling vacant storefronts with newly permitted uses like crafting studios, greenhouses, medical offices, art installations, public restrooms, and research laboratories.
Raise the Wage Burien is bringing together a coalition of workers, community groups, and labor unions to gather petition signatures to put a measure on the ballot this fall to raise Burien’s minimum wage to parity with nearby cities like Tukwila, SeaTac, Seattle, and Renton. In contrast, the city co
Using the Gini coefficient which measures inequality, Ray Delahanty of CityNerd runs through the top 10 cities in America with the highest levels of income and wealth inequality. Delahanty focuses his analysis on cities in metropolitan regions with more than 1 million people. Surprisingly, Seattle doesn’t even rank in
Will one more car lane really fix congestion? Jason Slaughter from Not Just Bikes digs into all those promises made by highway departments to reduce congestion and improve the environment by expanding roads.
Renton voters have until February 13 to vote in a special election on the measure putting the city’s minimum wage in line with Tukwila and SeaTac.
Economists are trying to figure out the dissonance between a recovering economy and America’s deep pessimism. They’re looking in the wrong place.
While running government like a business is a dream of chambers of commerce, businesses don’t freeze wages and spending when they need to hire and grow. The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has been banging the drum for austerity heading into the fall budget season. The City invited Chamber
This month, Seattle has hosted some of its biggest events of the summer and local pundits are busy writing the first draft of history. From Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game week to Taylor Swift’s massive concert pairing, a ton of people visited Seattle. Some are ready to say
Right now, the city of Seattle is at a crossroads. As a robust job market, the city has never had a housing plan that meets the demand. Thankfully, the Washington State Legislature has done a lot of work this spring, legalizing fourplexes everywhere in Seattle, and legalizing sixplexes near frequent
Taxing the rich works like a charm. Last week we learned that the capital gains tax — which was passed by the state legislature in 2021 to fund much-needed childcare and public education — will bring in nearly $601 million more in state revenue than previously projected in the biennium. For decades,
Next week is standardized testing at the kiddos’ school. The normal seven-class-a-day schedule will be reorganized to allow morning and afternoon blocks long enough to take the 3 to 4 hour tests. The kids have stockpiled gum and selected small stuffed animals and stress balls to keep them company. Anxiety
Every one knows there are two things you can’t escape in life, death and taxes. While I’d add a few more items to that list, it seems that with Washington State having such an, ahem, unique tax system, the time had come for us to tackle the topic
In the spring of 2020, downtown Seattle sat empty. A once bustling and growing core of tower cranes, thriving businesses, and active neighborhoods was now silent. Office workers were gone, and in the interim worked remotely, which soon became long-term preference. During the slow recovery, restaurants, retail, and transit all
In this episode, co-hosts Natalie Argerious and Ray Dubicki welcome Ron Davis to talk about a proposed JumpStart Tax Holiday in the city of Seattle. Ron last joined the pod to talk about how the city’s comprehensive planning was lacking a level of seriousness. There is a tax holiday
Hot off the coattails of a resounding electoral victory to raise the minimum wage in Tukwila, a new coalition has formed to launch a similar ballot initiative campaign in Renton. Dubbed “Raise the Wage Renton,” chief organizer Guillermo Zazueta announced the campaign’s launch alongside students, workers, and elected officials
Shops in unincorporated King County may have to accept cash as payment if the King County Council moves forward with a proposal meant to address the needs of unbanked residents. The measure, sponsored by King County Council member Jeanne Kohl-Welles, would require retailers to accept up to $250 in cash
The Downtown Seattle Association and new SDOT head are seeking ways to jumpstart the shelved Center City Streetcar project, such as a Cultural Connector program. Seattle’s Center City streetcar has been in limbo ever since Mayor Jenny Durkan halted the project in 2018 right as construction was beginning. Nonetheless,
A “grave” report from the new Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts (OERF) showed a hit to the general fund and a steep decline in revenues related to real estate transactions over the next two years, creating uncertainty in the ongoing biennial budget process. OERF Director Ben Noble — formerly the
Dave Amos of City Beautiful talks about how cities can move goods faster, more efficiently, and sustainably. Amos highlights some strategies that are being used in Seattle, too.
It’s hard to avoid the topic of inflation these days. Price increases on basic goods are impossible to overlook at most stores, discussion of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act dominates the news cycle, and in conversations between family and friends, it’s become commonplace to discuss what
Financing affordable housing is not an easy endeavor, and many projects end up with funding gaps that impede them from moving forward. Enter the Evergreen Impact Housing Fund (EIHF), a social impact investment fund managed by the Seattle Foundation that delivers last dollar funding to affordable housing projects. EIHF is
In 2020, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay initiated the King County Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot program, which was funded by community service operating grant allocations and repurposed office funds. These funds were administered to the Rainier Beach Action Coalition, and Urban Family, two community-based organizations (CBOs) based in South King
Yesterday battle lines emerged around Pay Up, the proposed suite of legislation aimed at ensuring Seattle’s growing number of app-based contract workers earn at least the minimum wage and receive basic protections similar to those held by employees. At a meeting of the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety
The theme was resurgence at the Downtown Seattle Association’s annual State of Downtown event yesterday. With two years of pandemic suffering and emergency public health measures seemingly behind us, Seattle’s economic leaders predicted Downtown would come roaring back. The annual economic report from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA)
As we emerge from pandemic and look towards returning to offices, a question starts to come up. “What’s for lunch?” A recent impromptu survey of several downtown Seattle restaurants suggests it’s very difficult to get out without forking over around $20 a person. The overloaded half pastrami and
Not Just Bikes runs numbers on how different development types pan out in terms of costs and benefits to communities with fascinating 3D visuals. Spoiler: suburban development is a hefty drain and net negative to communities. In the long-run, that spells trouble even for suburban residents.
King County’s second largest city began its budget season on Monday evening with a foreboding presentation. With lagging property tax revenues, increased demands for services as the city grows, and inflation impacting nearly every economic sector, City staff project a $3 million deficit in Bellevue’s General Fund for
Concrete is not flowing in King County and several high-profile infrastructure projects threaten to be delayed as a result. Concrete mixer drivers are striking for higher compensation on par with other building trade unions and a health plan that lowers cost for retired members, but the six largest concrete companies
CityNerd walks through the very wonky topics of induced demand (or better described as “induced traffic”) and the methods for justifying road widening projects.
When Bellevue boasted they would eat Seattle’s lunch last month, I am not sure they realized the housing crisis was on the full course menu. For years, Bellevue has successfully lobbied to pull high-priced tech jobs away from Seattle, and now political leaders are caught flat-footed scrambling with a
The Jumpstart Seattle tax was a take-off-the-mask moment for Seattle that is still reverberating through Seattle politics. Some would have us believe low taxes are more important than investments in the social safety net, the Green New Deal, and racial equity. They’d have you believe a progressive payroll tax
Vox explores why so many new buildings seem to prominently feature rectangular panels as exterior cladding.
Lessons from a one-time crown jewel of urban renewal. Recently I got to be a tourist in my hometown. The hard part about going back after a long while away is seeing how badly the current stewards have screwed things up. My visit to Baltimore this summer was the first
Awards up to $100,000 will be distributed to community-led projects aimed at reigniting the local economy during the Covid recovery. Have you ever dreamt of organizing a public art installation, social media platform, or small business marketplace for your corner of Seattle? Or maybe you have another, more bolder
Vox digs deep into why American housing is so expensive, which runs the gamut from exclusionary zoning practices to a history of redlining.
On Monday, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to energize Downtown Seattle and South Lake Union (SLU) with new street-level uses. This effort hopes to help Downtown and South Lake Union recover from the pandemic-induced recession by filling vacancies and promoting active streets. The legislation also offers an
How Federal Subsidy of Loan Interest Rates Block Missing Middle Housing Earlier in the pandemic, I was searching around Zillow. Looking at houses was a fair alternative to doomscrolling Reddit. One evening, I came across a building for sale. Interesting place in our neighborhood with a couple apartment units and
Imagine if you could partner with a developer to build a multiplex or rowhouse on your property, and, in exchange for the land, you were gifted a home in the new development? This is the concept for the “Great Seattle Housing Swap,” an idea that will leverage our residential land
Vox looks at the history of redlining, practices of renting and selling property, zoning practices, public services and investments, and environmental health that collectively reinforce and prop up segregation. The video explores how where you grow up might affect the trajectory of your life.
Davos Amos looks at what the proliferation of electric cars means for fueling stations in the years ahead. Will they die away? Will they retool? How will this affect jobs and small businesses? These are important questions for cities to grapple with for planning communities.
It turns out that fracking is not as lucrative as it was once thought, Bloomberg Quicktake explains.
Miami has over 300 highrises and a climate that many desire. The city’s mayor is hoping to lure tech business and jobs from Silicon Valley to region with low taxes, freewheeling Covid protocols, and a young and educated workforce. Dave Amos explains that Silicon Valley represents a unique global
In Seattle’s latest update to its energy code, bans were levied on fossil fuel and electric resistance heating systems in commercial buildings and three-plus-story multifamily residences. One exception to that ban was for district heating systems that can and do burn carbon fuels in Seattle. District heating is a
China has been heavily focused on global infrastructure initiatives through its Belt and Road strategy to increase the country’s prosperity and influence. A key project in Pakistan, however, has hit a snag and stalled out, a rarity in China’s global development strategy. Bloomberg Quicktake explores
Through some clever permit digging, our friends over at GeekWire have found that the vacant New Seasons in Ballard is being refit as an Amazon Fresh grocery store. For those of us who follow the issues surrounding industrial Ballard and Interbay, the obvious question is how we allowed our city’
Super commuting was on the up and up prior to the pandemic. Why are people doing it, who is doing it, and what can planning do to reduce it? Dave Amos explores those questions in this short video.
Vox examines how building more highways just leads to more congestion rather than solving any particular transportation problem.
Davos Amos ask how big cities can get. Many megacities, largely defined as over 10 million people, are rapidly growing in industrialized countries. But cities over 100 million–gigacities–could be possible this century as megacities grow and merge. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and your family from all of
Johnny Harris steps back in time to find out why New York City became so successful and huge even in the age of burgeoning global megacities.
In September, the City of Seattle released the Internet for All Seattle Report. This report follows the City’s July 27th resolution to establish the city council’s goal to implement a “vision of enabling all Seattle residents to access and adopt broadband internet service that is reliable and affordable.
Mayor Jenny Durkan launched her next skirmish with Seattle City Council today as she released a 2021 budget that skimmed revenue from the their JumpStart Seattle spending plan to fund her marquee $100 million pledge of communities of color. That mayoral pledge was made in June as Black Lives Matter
The Urbanist joined more than 40 community organizations in signing a letter urging Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle City Council to reject austerity as they craft the budget for the coming year. “We urge you to reject an austerity approach and instead seek new progressive revenue to sustain and
Global climate change is brewing a crisis for growing coffee. As annual temperatures rise, coffee plants are being threatened with mass withering. The global zone for production is a narrow band, making this a recipe for disaster.
Is there any credence to the skyscraper index in forecasting economic downturns? Bloomberg Citylab explores this debated theory.
After Mayor Jenny Durkan vetoed a Covid relief package saying it depleted the City’s rainy day fund, Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda fired back that the need was now and waiting would inflict too much suffering and damage to the economy. As part of its JumpStart Seattle package, the Seattle
There are many ways a high-speed rail system can benefit the urban hubs of a megaregion, but small towns along the alignment can also benefit and grow economically. According to Representative Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), who authored a white paper on American High-Speed Rail, “Economic development is not limited to the
Seattle will permit restaurants and retail shops to open into traffic-less public streets one block at a time. Two months after the idea was publicized in local media, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that street closure permits will be available for businesses to expand into some roadways, allowing better social distancing
It’s been a few months since the initial outbreak of Covid-19, and pandemic has already altered our societal fabric in profound ways. Fewer people are frequenting stores and restaurants, travel has decreased significantly, and we’ve been forced into the worst economic recession in recent history. More than 23.
The buzzwords “smart grid” have been floating around in environmentalist circles, national security circles, and it’s even made an appearance in urbanist media. Hype surrounding the “smart grid” claims major environmental benefits, increased affordability, and energy security. So, what is the “smart grid” and what does it look like?
The American unemployment system is not universal in its design. How did we get to where we are and why are some systems designed to fail people in need of financial support?
Seattle’s green urban assets are worth billions and valuing them could protect them. Thanks to Covid-19 and the West Seattle Bridge closure, the air is so clear that from Alki Beach, you can see the colors of trees and houses on Magnolia. The 55% drop in Seattle’s weekday
On Wednesday, the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released its updated revenue forecast, and in doing so kicked off one of the most important battles over the state’s tax system we’ve seen in nearly 90 years. The forecast suggests the state will be short $4.5 billion
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda unveiled a big business tax proposal called “JumpStart Seattle” today that would raise $200 million per year from the wealthiest companies in the city. A handful of business, labor, and nonprofit leaders joined Mosqueda, who chairs the Budget Committee, during the announcement and voiced support. While the
As we live through the current moment, it is difficult to understate the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the world. While the current outlook on the progress of the virus in most countries is looking better than it was this time last month, there is still a
America’s most regressive social policy has entrenched the racial wealth gap. It’s time for it to go. This article is the second half of a two-part series on the importance of ending the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID). Part One focuses on how the MID works and what negative
For over half a century, America’s housing policy has been shaped around a deeply regressive tax deduction. That has to change. Imagine yourself standing in front of a stereotypical single-family home. There’s a mature maple tree in front yard, a driveway with a basketball hoop, and a deck
The double-whammy of a global pandemic and parallel recession has taken a toll on Sound Transit finances. Agency staff have warned that a sustained and deep recession seems inevitable, following a similar course of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, that could impact capital investments in light rail, commuter rail, and
Vox explains why the United States is seeing employment plummet amidst the pandemic while the United Kingdom has not experienced the same level of jobs devastation. It did not have to be like. Massive job losses are a purely political decision, as the video highlights.
Yesterday, the Seattle City Council dug into the latest budget projections and found the City is expected to be short between $210 million to $300 million. While some councilmembers are exploring revenue options to plug that budget hole, Councilmember Alex Pedersen is busy calling for austerity and trying to roast
In this series of four articles, I am going to lay out an argument that Seattle should mix industrial uses in our residential and commercial neighborhoods. It’s based on the idea that our bright-line description of industry keeps interesting and useful things out of our communities. Such exclusion is
Dave Amos of City Beautiful explains what level-of-service is and the pitfalls of using it mitigate transportation impacts from new development. He also talks about why vehicle miles travelled as a metric may be better.
In the sci-fi series Star Trek, characters could use machines called replicators to instantly materialize just about any food, beverage, or tool on site. A more primitive version of the replicator has already emerged in our society. The formidable combination of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs are busily working to push
In a previous article, I wrote about vertical farming and the technology’s ability to urbanize agriculture. Vertical farming facilitates the urbanization of agriculture with a productivity advantage over conventional agriculture. This presents a viable business case for practicing agriculture in an urban environment, allowing urban agriculture to approach the
Dave Amos at City Beautiful takes a look at the newish stadium district trend that pairs new arenas and stadiums with mixed-used, urban development. Is it any better than the old suburban model of fringe locations with seas of surface parking?
My copy of Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities is dog eared and marked up. There are little arrows on the spine pointing me back to important quotes because the original tabs I stuck there are long gone. It’s lived in as many cities as