Category Archives: Resources

Denny Substation Bringing Light to Growing Neighborhoods

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

With growing demand for power in the neighborhoods around South Lake Union, utility department Seattle City Light (SCL) is preparing to build a new electrical substation nearby. It won’t be like the city’s other 11 facilities with cold chain-link fences, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Government, Land Use, Landscape, Parks, Public Art, Public Space, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Walking | Tagged architects, architecture, Capitol Hill, Denny Substation Project, Denny Way, electrical substation, electricity, infrastructure, NBBJ, pedestrian, power, public, public art, Seattle City Light, Seattle Design Commission, South Lake Union, urban design, utilities | 4 Comments

(re)Building Resilient Communities

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

As the impacts of climate change become more noticeable around the world, planners and politicians are taking steps to reinforce their cities against natural disasters. Though climate scientists stress that no single weather event can be attributed to climate change, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Megaprojects, Policy, Residential, Resources, Sustainability | Tagged 3C competition, barriers, beach, billions, buyout, climate change, coastal, defense, dunes, FEMA, flood zone, flooding, fortification, global warming, Hurricane Sandy, hurricanes, infrastructure, New York, ORLI, refugees, resilency, Sandy, sea level rise, seawalls, superstorm, winds | 6 Comments

Seattle’s Food Forest Takes Root

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A new public food forest is opening over the next year in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood with fruit trees, shrubs, and other food plants that will be available to all visitors. The park will also have private gardening plots, known … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Food, Government, Land Use, Landscape, Policy, Public Space, Sustainability | Tagged Beacon Food Forest, Beacon Hill, BFF, community garderning, food forest, Jefferson Park, local food, p-patch, permaculture, Seattle, urban agriculture, urban farming, urban gardening | 2 Comments

West Coast Leads Electric Vehicle Sales

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

As electric vehicles gain a foothold in the U.S. auto market, manufacturers are seeing their highest EV sales in west coast cities and states. Data from research firm R.L. Polk shows that Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are three … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Government, Policy, Roads, Transportation | Tagged charging, charing stations, electric, electric cars, EV, EVs, green highway, incentives, Los Angeles, Oregon, sales, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, west coast | 2 Comments

Study: U.S. Air Pollution Causes 200,000 Early Deaths Annually

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

A study published this summer by the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment quantifies the startling health impact of air pollution on Americans’ health, finding that about 200,000 people die per year a decade before they otherwise would have. … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Energy, Policy, Transportation | Tagged air pollution, climate change, electricity generation, emissions, fossil fuels, industry, marine, MIT, pollution, power generation, premature deaths, rail, road transportation, study, vehicles | 1 Comment

Planning to Preserve Wilderness

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Trees, mountains, streams, and wildlife. These attributes and the recreational opportunities offered by them are why many people choose to live in the Northwest. The abundance of wilderness areas in this region goes back to European colonization being only recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Density, Government, Housing, Land Use, Resources, Sustainability, Wilderness | Tagged agriculture, boundaries, city limits, conservation, density, forest service, forestry, growth management, law, logging, mining, national parks, naturalists, Oregon, outdoors, preservation, recreation, urban growth area, urban growth boundary, Washington, wilderness | 1 Comment

Proposed Coal Terminals Meet Opposition

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

Energy companies’ plans to export coal to Asia is at the heart of an ongoing debate in the Pacific Northwest, with proposed shipping terminals and coal trains prompting a public outcry that pits environmental concerns against economic interests.

Posted in Climate, Energy, Government, Rail, Roads | Tagged activism, Asia, BNSF, coal dust, coal terminals, coal trains, ecology, energy, export, freight, power, public, Puget Sound, Seattle, traffic, transportation, Washington | 2 Comments

Korea Launches Bus Powered by Wireless Electricity

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Scott Bonjukian

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has successfully launched a bus powered by wireless electricity in Gumi, South Korea. Unlike electric cars or trains that need to plug-in for charging or get power from overhead wires, respectively, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buses, Energy, Government, Roads, Transportation | Tagged battery, buses, charging stations, electric avenue, electricity, electromagnetic induction, EV, Korea, public transit, wireless | 1 Comment