Category Archives: Editorial

Redesigning 15th Avenue NE

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

The “complete street” movement has picked up steam as urban planners and city leaders have relearned that public rights-of-way need to accommodate all modes of transportation. With the growing interest in this urban design strategy I tried my hand at … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Buses, Editorial, Parking, Public Space, Roads, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking | Tagged 15th Ave, 15th Avenue, bike path, complete street, corridor, department of transportation, design, drawings, efficiency, Lake City, mode, multi-modal, NE, on-street parking, Pacific Street, parking, plantings, project, proposal, renderings, Roosevelt, route, safety, Seattle, speed limit, traffic, transit, U-District, university of washington, walking | 17 Comments

Vision Port Orchard: Planning for a Small Town

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

On Saturday morning, months of preparation were finally put into action. A team of graduate planning students, including myself, hosted a public meeting at Port Orchard City Hall to kick off the city’s yearlong comprehensive plan update process. The purpose … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Government, Housing, Land Use, Transportation | Tagged 2015, 2016, city hall, civic, comprehensive plan, event, graduate, involvement, meeting, Nick Bond, participation, Port Orchard, process, public, students, Tim Matthes, university of washington, update, urban design, urban planning, uw, Vision Port Orchard | 1 Comment

The Case for Cities and Saving the World

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

The Urbanist, a new Seattle-based website, offers compelling reasons for channeling human activities and development into cities. I’d like to add to their argument: cities are how we’re going to save the world. As developing countries rapidly catch up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Government, Housing, Land Use, Resources, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged alternatives, cities, colonization, densification, density, elon musk, energy, environment, future, humanity, humankind, life, living, population, space, spacex, sprawl, suburbs, sustainability, world | 1 Comment

Let’s Bury I-5

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

Author’s Note: This post has been superseded by an updated proposal in another post, “Let’s Bury I-5: Redux”, dated July 5, 2014. Author’s Note 2: The latest and most detailed proposal is in a third post, “The Case for Lidding I-5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged bicycling, bore, buildings, bury, cars, concrete, construction, cost, cover, Dallas, department of transportation, Eisenhower, engineering, freeway, highway, Hudson Yards, I-5, Interstate 5, land, land value, lid, megaproject, Millenium Park, neighborhoods, noise, park, paths, pollution, project, proposal, reconnect, Seattle, soil, tunnel, urban design, vegetation, walking, Washington | 31 Comments

Metro Supporters Demand Action

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A coalition of transit supporters rallied at a press conference today in downtown Seattle’s Westlake Park. Representatives from local governments, institutions, and businesses spoke passionately about the need for the Washington State legislature to pass a comprehensive transportation package that … Continue reading →

Posted in Buses, Editorial, Government, Policy, Transportation | Tagged bus, cuts, Dow Constantine, downtown Seattle, governor, Josh Cavanagh, King County, Larry Phillips, legislature, metro, overcrowding, politics, press conference, rally, revenue, roads, service, taxes, transit, transportation, university of washington, Washington state, Westlake | 5 Comments

Emerald City Impressions: Explorations

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Despite being here for only about seven weeks I’ve gotten the chance to see a fair amount of Seattle, and it’s quite amazing how many different neighborhoods there are and how quickly the urban landscape can change from one block … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Land Use, Megaprojects, Transportation | Tagged Ballard, bus, Capital Hill, experiences, Industrial District, Museum of Flight, neighborhoods, Pioneer Square, Seattle, urban exploring | 1 Comment

Thinking Outside the (Big) Box

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

The U.S. is seeing a slow reversal of a half-century of migration to the suburbs, with people more interested in walkable communities closer to the core cities of metropolitan regions. With the Millennial generation also less interested in driving and … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Mixed Use, Parks, Public Space, Sustainability | Tagged green spaces, mall conversion, parking, solar panels, suburban redevelopment, thinking outside the big box | 6 Comments

Planning Conference Extravaganza

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

With classes underway, a conveniently timed conference in nearby Bellevue gave me the opportunity to skip school the last two days and mingle with over 400 planning professionals. The Washington State chapter of the American Planning Association hosted its annual conference … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial | Tagged 2013, American Planning Association, APA, Bellevue, bicycling, climate change, conference, sea level rise, smart streets, summary, urban agriculture, wicked problems smart solutions | 3 Comments

Emerald City Impressions: Start of School

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

It’s been two-and-a-half weeks since I moved to Seattle, and I must admit I’m still getting used to it. Today I had my first classes in the graduate urban planning program at the University of Washington, and I forsee my … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial | 2 Comments

Emerald City Impressions: Moving Day

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

I’m here! With the help of my folks I finally made the big move to Seattle on Monday. My apartment is located in a pretty accessible location north of the UW campus, but I don’t think I’ll ever drive in … Continue reading →

Posted in Editorial | Tagged Ravenna Park, Seattle, university district, university of washington, uw | Leave a comment