Category Archives: Sustainability

Bikeshare Pedaling Into Puget Sound

The bike sharing fad has spread across the U.S. like wildfire, with over 30 cities introducing a form of the service since 2008. High profile programs in New York and Washington, D.C. have proven the merits of bike sharing for … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Policy, Public Space, Roads, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Denny Substation Bringing Light to Growing Neighborhoods

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Thinking Outside the (Big) Box

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 , , , , , | 6 Comments

(re)Building Resilient Communities

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Seattle’s Food Forest Takes Root

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mixed-Use Project to Increase Urban Vitality in D.C.

For a little break from the Northwest we venture to the nation’s capital in the other Washington, where an exciting urban design project is under construction. On a 10-acre megablock previously home to a convention center, the CityCenterDC project will … Continue reading

Posted in Density, Housing, Land Use, Mixed Use, Parks, Public Space, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Planning to Preserve Wilderness

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