Pronto Set for a Rainy Start

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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Pronto Cycle Share, previously working under the name of Puget Sound Bike Share (PSBS), has secured sponsorships, station locations, and is set to launch on Monday, October 13th. Annual memberships ($85) started being offered this past Monday, with the first signup being none other than Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. According to the Pronto website, the system will open with 50 stations and 500  bicycles through Downtown, Belltown, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, and the University District. The system will contribute to the city’s diversity of transportation options, but because of its late launch it may be off to a rocky start.

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Germany Visits South Lake Union

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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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 group got to see the city’s most rapidly evolving neighborhood. Their primary studies are in the economics of geographic tourism, but among the mix of undergraduate and graduate students some were more interested in ecological design, urban planning, or related subjects. In our brief walk through the neighborhood we also had an enlightening discussion about the differences between American and European cities and culture.

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Seattle’s Transit Tunnel Is About To Get Busier

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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Early Saturday morning I had the opportunity to participate in a simulation of bus and light rail service in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT). The DSTT is unique among transit systems, with both buses and trains sharing the roadway and stopping at the same platforms. With the tunnel already facing mass-transit congestion (a good problem to have), the simulation tested if the tunnel could support increased capacity.

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More Streetcars, Please

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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Seattle is an era of streetcar expansion, which is good news for commuters, businesses, and transit enthusiasts alike. In an update to an earlier post, on Monday the Seattle City Council approved further study and pursuit of federal funding for a downtown streetcar line on 1st Avenue. This will connect the First Hill and South Lake Union (SLU) lines possibly by 2018. Seattle Streetcar, the official name of the network, is also studying a short extension of the First Hill line. This post will look at why streetcars are returning to the fore and propose additional connections between the city’s central neighborhoods.

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Posted in Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Let’s Bury I-5: Redux

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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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, and it received a flood of positive and negative feedback. This entry looks at the project more critically, dials it back to a reasonable scope, and includes additional details. I’m tackling this again because I plan to pursue it as a thesis for my master’s degree over the coming year. I chose not to update the original post in order to preserve it as a record, but to accommodate new readers I have repeated (and edited) some of the original content here.

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

Improving Bicycling for Everyone

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian
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A little more than paint is needed in some places.

A few weeks ago I became even more of a multi-modalist by taking up urban bicycling. So far my experience has been immensely positive, as it is free, flexible, and healthy. Living at the top of a hill gets me my daily exercise, and I no longer depend on inconvenient bus schedules to get to work and school. I’ve finally gotten the chance to bike both on Seattle’s many trails and in mixed traffic; as for the latter, I’ve already observed that there are many improvements needed before city streets are truly bike-friendly. The situation is similar across much of the U.S.

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The Comprehensive Plan

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

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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 do, from development regulations and zoning to capital projects and social programs. Many other communities around Washington State are working to update their plans over the next few years; this is a primer on what comprehensive plans are, a summary of my experience working with Port Orchard, and why should get involved with planning efforts.

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Post 50

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian

LogoIt’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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The Problematic Proposal for a Seattle Gondola

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian


Hal and Ken Griffith, the father and son owners of Pier 57 and the waterfront Ferris wheel, spoke to my class this week about their proposal for a short gondola system in downtown Seattle. As mentioned in a previous post, I went into the discussion being highly skeptical. This is a private project being proposed for private ownership and benefit in the public right-of-way. The presentation shifted my view slightly but there are still valid concerns that must be addressed before the City of Seattle can consider approving the project.

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Murray Announces Rerun of Prop 1

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Scott Bonjukian
From left to right, King County Executive Dow Constatine, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and Seattle Council Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen.

From left to right at the podium, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and Seattle Council Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen.

This morning Seattle Mayor Ed Murray held a press conference on the city’s plan to save Metro bus service and collaborate with other regional municipalities. Once approved by the City Council, the measure will ask Seattle voters for approval of a $60 car tab fee and 0.1 percent sales tax, the same funding options that Proposition 1 proposed for all of King County. However, none of the funds raised from this measure would go to roads and some would go to low-income and regional bus service.

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