Category Archives: Editorial

The Metro Neighborhood: A Renewed Vision for Downtown Seattle

The University of Washington (UW) is one of downtown Seattle’s largest landowners, but you wouldn’t know it just by being there. The university controls about eleven acres of prime real estate where the original campus was founded in 1861, known … Continue reading

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Legacy and Prophecy: The 2014 APA Washington State Conference

The annual two-day Washington state planning conference wrapped on Friday in Spokane, and I came away with a refreshed sense of the many issues planners face both now and in the coming years. The sessions covered a wide variety of … Continue reading

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U-District to Discuss Neighborhood Open Space

The U-District Partnership will host a community forum on Tuesday, October 7th at 7pm at Alder Hall (1310 NE 40th Street) with the Seattle planning and parks departments to discuss public open space in the the University District, one of … Continue reading

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A Planner’s Visit to Vancouver

After growing up and living the Pacific Northwest for many years I finally had an opportunity to visit Vancouver, British Columbia last weekend. Along with Seattle and Portland, it is an important hub of the Cascadia region and I was … Continue reading

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Germany Visits South Lake Union

Last week I led a tour of students and professors from the University of Munich’s Department of Geography through South Lake Union (SLU) . It was a great experience for me, as I’ve never done anything like it, and the German … Continue reading

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The Comprehensive Plan

Earlier this month myself and a team of graduate students finished helping update the City of Port Orchard’s Comprehensive Plan. ‘Comp’ plans are at the core of the planning profession and (ideally) guide everything else that planners and city leaders … Continue reading

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Post 50

It’s been less than a year but The Northwest Urbanist has already been more than I thought it would. In celebration of my 50th post, here’s a brief rundown of what I’ve written so far and what’s ahead.

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Atlanta Conference Recap

In April I had the good fortune to attend the 2014 National APA (American Planning Association) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with 5,000 fellow planners.  Session topics ranged from autonomous cars and the Millennials to citizen participation and affordable housing. I’m … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Demographics, Editorial, Event Writeup, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Policy, Public Space, Resources, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vote Yes on Proposition 1

King County voters are receiving ballots in the mail for a special election on April 22. The only measure up for vote, Proposition 1, will maintain funding for transit and increase maintenance funding for county roads if it passes with … Continue reading

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Seattle Hopes to Restart Neighborhood Relations

The Mayor’s Office hosted a “Neighborhood Summit” at the Seattle Center on Saturday for the purpose of connecting city government with citizens. In addition to over 20 city departments and offices, 600 people of all ages and walks of life … Continue reading

Posted in Editorial, Energy, Event Writeup, Government, Housing, Land Use, Public Space, Resources, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments