Category Archives: Housing

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

Posted in Climate, Event Writeup, Housing, Land Use, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Editorial, Housing, Land Use, Parks, Public Space, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Let’s Bury I-5: Redux

Author’s Note: The latest and most detailed proposal is in a third post, “The Case for Lidding I-5 in Downtown Seattle”, dated December 4, 2015. Earlier this year I proposed capping Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle. The original idea was radical, … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Parks, Public Space, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

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

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

Vision Port Orchard: Planning for a Small Town

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

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The Case for Cities and Saving the World

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Murray Sees Progress Ahead for Seattle

Newly elected Seattle Mayor Ed Murray delivered his first State of the City address Tuesday afternoon in a packed chamber at City Hall. He highlighted the pride and spirit of community that is embodied in Seattlites, and also went over … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Buses, Climate, Demographics, Government, Housing, Policy, Rail, Roads, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let’s Bury I-5

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Plans, Plans, Plans: The Visions for Seattle’s Future

On Thursday night a crowd of hundreds gathered to share ideas for Seattle’s future. Co-hosted by the Seattle Art Museum and the city’s Department of Planning and Development, the evening kicked off the city’s comprehensive plan update process that will … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Parks, Public Space, Resources, Schools, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments