The One Seattle Plan Needs a Bold Alternative 6 

Seattle has grown much faster than planners and policymakers predicted, which means our planning framework needs to be nimble. Every ten years Seattle makes...

Report Highlights Puget Sound’s Housing Deficit and Zoning Reform Potential

On Thursday, Urban Institute released a new report focused on the Seattle metropolitan region that is sure to be of interest to urbanists and...

Missing Middle Housing Reform Returns for 2023 Legislative Session

Housing abundance is returning as a big policy issue in the 2023 Washington legislative session. On Tuesday, Rep. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) filed her eagerly-awaited...

Street Cafés Becoming a Permanent Amenity in More Puget Sound Cities

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember, but prior to the onset of the Covid pandemic, street cafés, sometimes called streateries, were few and far...

Congress Approves Record $54 Million for Puget Sound Recovery

But development outside of Washington State's urban growth areas continues to place pressure on an ecologically rich, but fragile ecosystem. Congress has passed a funding...
Picture take from Kirkland facing downtown midrises and City Hall

Google Planned New Sustainable High-Rise Campus in Kirkland

Update: On January 20th, 2023, the City of Kirkland announced that Google will not be proceeding with the sale of the Lee Johnson site...

Redmond’s Aggressive Code Update Imperils 2,500 Homes Planned Near Overlake Station

Redmond has a grand vision for the Overlake neighborhood, which is set to get light rail by 2025. Redmond land use policies have funneled...
A photo of an outdoor dining area with plants.

Land Use Smorgasbord at Final Seattle City Council Meeting of 2022

Highway Lids, Design Review Waivers for Affordable Housing, Continuing Streateries, and Easing Food Truck Restrictions In its final full meeting of 2022, the Seattle City...