Readers and supporters of The Urbanist hold a wealth of great ideas about how to improve the cities where we live. As managing editor, I’m constantly struck by how many successful op-ed, article, and essay ideas come up in conversation at our meetups and other events — and I know so much more untapped potential exists.

That’s why I’m leading the charge to welcome more volunteer writers into our fold. As a volunteer writer for The Urbanist, you can join a writing community in which you’ll be supported through all stages of the writing process and produce a piece of work that you can feel proud of — one that will be read by people across the Puget Sound region and beyond, including a significant number of decision-makers.

Feeling inspired? Then check out our newly updated Write for Us page, which outlines some of themes we are seeking pitches on and our writing guidelines. I’ll be also hosting a series of volunteer writer orientations in which we will discuss tips on crafting op-eds, engaging in research, and vetting topics to write about. While the information will be very helpful for writing for The Urbanist, it will also be useful for other writing endeavors you may have in your sights.

The orientations will each be about 30 minutes long and held online. Please register in advance to let me know you’re coming. Also, don’t worry if none of the dates work for you. Contact me at natalie [at] theurbanist.org to receive the orientation materials.

Summer 2022 Volunteer Writer Orientation Dates

Tuesday, 7/26/22 – 12:30-1pm

Wednesday, 8/10/22 – 6-6:30pm

Tuesday, 8/23/22 – 12:30-1pm

Thursday, 9/8/22 – 6-6:30pm

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for The Urbanist!

The post Summer 2022 Volunteer Writer Orientations first appeared on The Urbanist.

At The Urbanist we are committed to covering a diverse array of stories related to our mission of improving cities and quality of life. That’s why we actively promote guest contributions. A lot of our most interesting content comes from readers like you. No, not SEO companies or product promoters — actual readers.

We publish many different forms of pieces related to our mission of improving cities and quality of life through the tradition of advocacy journalism. While we are based in Seattle and focus the majority of our coverage on the Puget Sound area, we are open to publishing work that extends beyond that geographic area in instances where the topic aligns well with our vision and values.

How to pitch us

We encourage writers to contact our editors with a brief article description to get feedback before jumping in too deep. If we think the proposed article is a good fit, we will work with you to get it edited and published with your name in the byline.

Here are some examples of the specific themes we are seeking pitches on at this time.

• Op-eds: Do you have an issue or topic you feel passionately about? Are you seeking to inspire change or raise awareness about challenges facing today’s cities? Op-eds are one of the primary ways in which readers share work and we publish dozens of them every year. Example:
  • We Need to Try Everything But Build a New Airport
• Spotlight on Solutions: These articles or essays highlight the work of organizations and individuals who are actively working to improve our cities and offer readers a strong dose of positivity and inspiration. Engaging descriptions of forward thinking public policy are also welcome here too. Examples:
  • Reopen Tacoma’s Broadway to People
  • Let’s Tee Off for Housing
• Urbanism 101: We are seeking articles that use accessible language and vivid examples to break down urban planning and policy concepts and terminology for a general readership. Example:
  • Urbanism 101: What is an EcoDistrict?
• Student Showcase: Rather than let your term project or thesis get dusty in (digital) archives, why not share it with an engaged community readers? We can work with you to transform your academic work in urban planning, public policy, public health, environmental studies, and more, to an engaging article that communicates with a broad audience. Example:
  • Green Roofs Provide Many Benefits as Cities Densify
• Community Profile: Do you live in or have experience with a community that you want readers of The Urbanist to learn about? A community profile can highlight a neighborhood or city that has not been featured previously in The Urbanist’s coverage. The profile should share what makes the community unique and notable for urbanists. Example:
  • Meet Skyway: Seattle’s Unincorporated Neighbor to the South
• Photo Essays: In your daily life or travels, have you made observations about cities, policies, and society that you’d like to share? Pitch us your photo essays related to our areas of coverage that offer compelling insights and observations. Example:
  • Exploring Mountain Lion Urbanism in Boise
• Why I’m an Urbanist: The term “urbanist” is a broad one, and it can mean different things to different people. In an effort to represent the diverse spectrum of people who identify as urbanists, we accept personal narratives that share what it means for people to call themselves urbanists. Example:
  • Why I’m an Urbanist: Scott Bonjukian

A note on volunteer and paid contributions

As a small nonprofit organization, volunteer contributors are essential to the ongoing success of our publication. Each article contribution by a volunteer furthers our advocacy work and is greatly appreciated. The op-eds and narrative articles we publish are submitted by volunteer writers.

For original reporting using primary sources, we have a limited budget to invest in paying freelance writers. If you are seeking compensation for a reported article, be sure to specify this in your pitch. We currently use a tiered system for compensating writers in which depth of research, originality of sources, and timeliness are all taken into consideration.

Feeling inspired? Reach out to us at editorial [at] theurbanist.org. Learn more detailed information about what we are looking for in submissions in our writing guidelines. Following them will increase the chances we accept your article for publishing.

The post Write for The Urbanist first appeared on The Urbanist.

While our organization is based in Seattle, and we tend to focus on the Puget Sound Region in our coverage, at times we publish reported articles from beyond our corner of the world. The challenges and opportunities present in equitable and sustainable urbanism extend beyond city, state, and national boundaries, and we want our reporting to as well.

For the paid freelancer pilot, we are seeking original reported articles. Additionally, as a small nonprofit, we seek to leverage this opportunity to introduce new voices into The Urbanist‘s community, highlight issues related to urbanism that have been historically overlooked, and invest in writing that really pushes the dial forward on how to make cities better for all the people.

For accepted pitches, we will pay on a sliding scale up to $350 per article based on length and number of primary sources and supporting visuals. We may be able to negotiate a higher rate in the future for high quality deep-diving articles.

If you are interested in pitching us, please review the guidelines on our Write for Us page and use the contact form to submit a pitch flagging your interest in the freelancer pilot program. We highly encourage women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color writers to apply.

This article was updated in December 2022 with the new payscale that has been in effect.

The post The Urbanist Announces New Paid Freelance Reporter Program first appeared on The Urbanist.

Here’s how it will work. We want you to write for our publication and we’re asking for your article pitches. What story isn’t being told in Seattle urbanism? Who isn’t being heard? What should be done to make our transportation system work better for all modes and users? What topic needs to re-examined in light of underappreciated research?

Make your pitch. It doesn’t have to be long but it should explain what story you aim to tell and how you’ll go about it. Who might you interview? What documents might offer guidance? Our editors will be happy to assist in the details once you’re in the writing phase. We welcome photography and videography work to accompany your storytelling. Email your pitch to editorial[at]theurbanist[dot]org. We’d especially welcome submissions from people who feel their voice isn’t well represented in urbanist circles.

We will be considering the following criteria in selecting the pieces:

• Is the story new or untold in our community?
• Does the pitch present a clear vision for telling that story?
• Does it fit well with The Urbanist’s mission to improve cities and quality of life and is compatible with our values?

We will offer compensation per article competitive with other online publications. Selected writers can expect editing support from our staff to bring the piece to fruition. We don’t have a strict word limit and would encourage writers to go deep and aim for at least 500 words in their first draft. The guidelines for guest contributions have some useful tips to guide your work.

We will select pitches on a rolling basis, so keep them coming. We’re going to space out the winning pitches so the sooner you get your pitch in, the more likely the article will run promptly.

Thank you for supporting The Urbanist. We are proud of our accomplishments, but we want to continue to implement systems to get better. We want to broaden the dialogue around citymaking in Seattle and hope this program can be a step in that direction.

Author’s note: This pilot program ended in 2018 and we do not currently offer compensation for guest posts.

#FundTheUrbanist: Our Budget And Fundraising Goals

The post Pitch an Article to The Urbanist and Get Paid To Write It first appeared on The Urbanist.