Tag Archives: Planning

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

Seattle Bus Restructure Takes Effect, And an Ode to the 70-Series

Last Saturday, one week after two new light rail stations opened in Seattle, King County Metro implemented its major service change intended to more efficiently connect people with the stations. The changes consist of new, revised, and deleted routes mostly … Continue reading

Posted in Buses, Editorial, Rail, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seattle’s Draft Comprehensive Plan Takes on the Big Issues

By 2040 the Puget Sound region is expected to have a population of 5 million, up from 3.9 million today. Seattle expects to be at the center of this growth and is planning for 120,000 new residents in 70,000 housing units, along with … Continue reading

Posted in Event Writeup, Housing, Land Use, Policy, Public Participation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tale of My Epic Transit Failure

If you saw a large good-looking man with a duffel bag sprinting through Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood in desperate search of a car2go on a crisp morning in April, that was me. That the car wasn’t where it was supposed to … Continue reading

Posted in Buses, Cars, Ferries, Rail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

King County Metro Launches Broad Planning Effort

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 … Continue reading

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

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

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: … Continue reading

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

Mayor Murray Remarks on Seattle’s Achievements and Challenges

In his annual address Seattle Mayor Ed Murray remarked on the city’s significant progress towards some of its goals and made a number of announcements about initiatives to pick up the pace on others. He also spoke at length about … Continue reading

Posted in Event Writeup, Government, Housing, Parks, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CascadiaCast Episode 1: Ben Schiendelman

I’m excited to announce the start of a new podcast series for fellow urbanists in the Pacific Northwest, titled CascadiaCast. I’ll be sitting down with fellow planners, activists, government officials, and other interesting people to discuss the issues that matter … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Housing, Land Use, Landscape, Sustainability, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is already being impacted by climate change, according to the latest National Climate Assessment (NCA). The consequences for the region’s economy and natural resources are significant. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho can expect reduced snowpack for water supplies, … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Climate, Energy, Food, Government, Resources, Water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lessons from the Oso Landslide

On March 22nd, a forested hillside northeast of Seattle broke away and sent a  mile of mud towards the rural community of Oso. The results were utterly devastating. 41 are confirmed dead and two remain missing, 49 homes were completely … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Land Use, Landscape | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment