Planning with Grassroots Media

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

IMAG3167_editIn April I had the pleasure of presenting with fellow urbanists and writers at the 2015 National Planning Conference in Seattle. Our panel, “Planning with Grassroots Media”, sought to enlighten city planners on how local blogs and neighborhood websites can greatly improve planning processes and boost public participation. The audience was spilling out the door and we had some great questions, so the presentation and audio recording are now being made available in this post.

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Posted in Editorial, Event Writeup, Government, Public Participation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Seattle Council Candidates Propose Citywide Streetcar System

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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The SLU line at its southern terminus. (Photo by the author)

Two at-large candidates for the 2015 Seattle City Council election, John Roderick and Alon Bassok, have jointly proposed a vision for a citywide municipal rail system. Documents released on Wednesday propose a 75-100 mile network built within a decade and funded with a $1 billion property tax levy. It harkens back to the streetcar system Seattle had before it was dismantled in the 1940s. The bold concept goes far beyond what any local transportation agency is planning, and until the election in November it’s uncertain  whether the idea can gain momentum.

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Posted in Government, Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

SDOT Studying High Capacity Transit for the Roosevelt Corridor

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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Roosevelt Way NE is just one part of the corridor being studied. Photo by the author.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is studying options for transit improvements in the Roosevelt corridor between Downtown and Northgate. Although Sound Transit is currently building Link light rail in the same area, the City’s Transit Master Plan (TMP) identifies this parallel corridor with high ridership potential. It includes South Lake Union and Eastlake, which Link will not serve. At a project open house last week, SDOT staff and their consultants from CDM Smith presented background information and early thoughts on speeding up transit service between these growing neighborhoods.

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Posted in Biking, Buses, Cars, Land Use, Parking, Rail, Roads, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

First U-District Parklet Opens

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
The parklet on 43rd Street is a work in progress. (Photo by Andres Salomon)

The U-District parklet on 43rd Street opened during the neighborhood’s popular street fair. (Photo by Andres Salomon)

During the University District Street Fair last weekend the neighborhood welcomed its first official parklet. Located on 43rd Street at University Way, the parklet replaces two parking spaces and complements a Pronto bike share station outside of an ice cream shop and near several restaurants. It’s the latest example of the City of Seattle’s efforts to create open spaces in public right-of-way, and another is on the way just across the street.

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Posted in Biking, Parking, Parks, Policy, Public Space | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro Refines 2016 U-Link Connections Proposal

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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Traffic congestion at Denny and Stewart. Photo by the author.

Today King County Metro released a more refined “Alternative 3” for how bus service can be restructured around Seattle’s two new light stations opening early next year. This proposal is a hybrid of two earlier options and incorporates a wide variety of public feedback. And, critically, this version includes Prop 1 service hours approved by Seattle voters last year. Throughout May Metro and Sound Transit are conducting another round of public outreach to see where tweaks can be made, and then a final proposal will be sent to the King County Council this summer and implemented March 2016. Check the Metro website for more information.

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Posted in Buses, Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

New Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Northeast Seattle

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
Eastbound on Ravenna Boulevard. Photo by the author.

Eastbound on Ravenna Boulevard. Photo by the author.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) staff hosted an open house on Tuesday to present conceptual plans for improving bike routes in northeast Seattle between East Green Lake Way N and 20th Avenue NE. Most of the project will simply be the installation of standard plastic posts between the existing bike lanes and vehicle lanes on Ravenna Boulevard. The project will also extend protected bike lanes (PBL) east to 15th Avenue NE, install new PBLs on Cowen Place and the Cowen Park Bridge, and create a two-way route for bicyclists on NE 62nd Street.

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Posted in Biking, Cars, Schools, Transportation, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

CascadiaCast Episode 3: Michael Maddux

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

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In this episode I sit down with Michael Maddux, a paralegal and Democratic Party leader running for Seattle City Council in District 4. Michael helped spearhead the formation of permanent parks and recreation funding through the voter-approved Seattle Parks District in 2013. And hailing from Eastlake, a neighborhood that has not seen its fair share of public investment over the past two decades, Michael has a vision for a more vibrant and equitable city. His ideas include reforming the land use code to better protect neighborhood character while increasing housing stock, improving how police officers and construction workers are recruited from within the community,  creating a more progressive tax structure, and investing more in schools as the city grows.

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Posted in Biking, Buses, CascadiaCast, Demographics, Government, Housing, Land Use, Parks, Policy, Schools, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

King County Metro Launches Broad Planning Effort

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
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People discuss transit issues at the visioning workshop. Photo by the author.

On Tuesday night King County Metro kicked off public outreach for a Long Range Plan that will outline the future of public transportation in the Seattle region. It’s the next in a series of past plans that guide the agency’s provision of services, this one prompted by the region’s rapid growth and recent funding debacles. Last night’s event at the Seattle Central Public Library started with a brief workshop and moved to a panel discussion of notable figures in the transit world. Their remarks offered direction for Metro’s efforts in equity, technology, and community.

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Posted in Buses, Government, Land Use, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Internship Opening at The Northwest Urbanist

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian

 

Hiring Sign

Update: This article is an April Fool’s joke.

The Northwest Urbanist has an outstanding internship “opportunity” for the qualified individual interested in city planning news and events in the Seattle region. The position is flexible and can be fulfilled at home or a real place of employment; occasional non-SOV travel may be required for strategy meetings. The intern will work directly under the supervision of the founder/writer/editor/graphic designer/director/manager. Compensation is dependent on leftover funding from student loan payments.

Responsibilities:

  • Observe and report
  • Write 1,000+ word articles on anything, anything at all related to cities
  • Manage the Facebook page with an eye for like-generating potential
  • Attend City Council meetings with zest
  • Research growth potential and new markets for one-man blogging operations with zero budget
  • Create snazzy graphics when the time is right
  • Smile and nod during explanations of the benefits of freeway lids
  • Manage logistics of spare batteries during podcast recordings

Desired qualifications:

  • Internet connection
  • Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite, Paint, Microsoft Office Suite, SketchUp, and iTunes
  • Typing speed of 500 words per minute
  • A high school diploma or 10 years experience in city planning, or some combination of education and work history that fulfills competency needed for the position
  • Appropriate taste in Instagram filters
  • At least one week of experience in blogging, tindering, tweeting, texting, snapchatting, and whatever else is cool these days
  • Mild tolerance for online comments; strong tolerance preferred
  • Ability to check the ego at the door

Submit the following to apply in a single PDF to northwesturbanist [at] gmail.com:

  • Resume
  • Cover letter
  • Photocopy of Pronto! bike share membership card and/or ORCA card
  • Essay on how your life came to this point
  • Answers to the 17 essential city planning questions
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

On Growth, Transit, and Bikes in Vancouver B.C.

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Scott Bonjukian
The entire city center is wrapped by a continuous multi-use trail, making for an excellent transportation, exercise, recreation, and people-watching corridor.

Vancouver’s entire city center is wrapped by a continuous multi-use shoreline trail, making for an excellent transportation, exercise, recreation, and people-watching amenity. Photo by the author.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Vancouver, B.C. again and have finally gotten around to writing about it. I managed to stay for a weekend instead of 30 hours and had a real excuse to go: the SCARP Symposium. Planning students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) put on the seventh iteration of this annual one-day event about urban issues in Vancouver and the greater region. First up, the most important things I saw and heard at the symposium that other Northwesterners may be interested in. I’ll tie that into the city’s ongoing transportation referendum and my experience of the city by bike, which I hauled up via Amtrak.

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Posted in Biking, Climate, Event Writeup, Government, Public Space, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments