Tag Archives: infrastructure

Public Risks Being Left Behind as Downtown Seattle Land Runs Out

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain As Seattle’s development boom continues without any sign of stopping, the city is rapidly approaching a point where Downtown is completely built out and there is no land left to … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Land Use, Policy, Public Space, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Park My Viaduct’ Heads to the Ballot Next Year

Author’s Note: This article was updated September 8, 2015 to correct details of the Initiative 123 campaign and proposal. Last week the Seattle City Council reluctantly approved forwarding the Alaskan Way Viaduct preservation effort to the August 2016 ballot. The … Continue reading

Posted in Parks, Public Space, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Seattle Invites Tech Community to ‘Hack’ Transportation

The City of Seattle and Commute Seattle launched a “Hack the Commute” project on Tuesday, bringing together partner agencies and local technology companies to develop tools for improving and navigating the city’s transportation network. The coalition is interested in innovations … Continue reading

Posted in Event Writeup, Government, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Civic Indicators Highlight Seattle’s Progress, Challenges

Correction: The SSNAP report has been updated to correct statistics on where Seattle residents work. 38.2 percent of Seattle’s employed residents work outside of the city, not 62 percent. A new report by consulting firm Steinbrueck Urban Strategies, headed up … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Density, Energy, Event Writeup, Food, Housing, Land Use, Parks, Policy, Resources, Schools, Transportation, Water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Improving Bicycling for Everyone

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 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

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

(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