Seattle

Seattle Planning Commission Urges Reimagining of the City’s Streets
In a set of recommendations submitted to the city, the commission calls for revised land use and transportation policies that reclaim public space from cars and shift focus away from vehicle throughput to more pedestrian-oriented uses.

New Shared Mobility Tax, More Traffic Cameras Could Be Headed to Seattle
Proposals before the city council include a per-vehicle tax on shared bikes and scooters and a hike to the city’s vehicle registration fee.

Opinion: Give Every Seattle Bus Dedicated Lanes
Painting red dedicated bus lanes can improve travel times for bus riders, encourage more people to use public transit, and reduce emissions from transportation.

Op-Ed: A Bold but Attainable Vision for Seattle’s Third Avenue
The editorial board of The Urbanist lays out their plan for a reimagined Third Avenue that plays to the strengths of the corridor while improving safety and transit service.

Community Land Trusts Make Homeownership Accessible
The organizations sell homes to low-income buyers at rates far below market prices, putting homeownership within reach for more families.

Checking in on the Progress of the Sound Transit 3 Plan
The Seattle area's $53.8 billion transit expansion plan is moving along in fits and starts.

Free Transit Starts September 1 for Seattle Youth
Sound Transit is launching a fare-free program for young riders in the hopes of educating and recruiting future riders and making schools and jobs more accessible to transit-dependent youth.

Seattle Works To Revise Comprehensive Plan
The city has developed five concepts for updating its comprehensive plan to increase density and reverse the legacy of exclusionary zoning.

A Permanent Decline in Revenue Forecasted for the Tunnel Bertha Built in Seattle
Public transit isn't the only mode struggling to attract the expected number of users in 2022. State Route 99 in Downtown Seattle is also failing to live up to expectations and struggling to make ends meet.

What Should the ‘Next Seattle’ Look Like?
With the city getting ready to update its comprehensive plan, one writer examines some models for improving affordability, accessibility, and community in Seattle.

Seattle Ponders a New Approach to Zoning for its Comprehensive Plan Update
The city of Seattle will have an updated comprehensive plan by the end of 2024, with zoning changes to follow by 2025.

Seattle Transit Winning Back Riders Faster Than Ridehailing
Ridehailing companies saw a steep drop in ridership in the city during the pandemic, followed by a slow recovery as their prices increase and demand slows.

Seattle Traffic Deaths Rose Again in 2022
Despite a commitment to eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, 2022 is shaping up to be the deadliest year in more than a decade.

After Major Investments, Seattle Still Falling Behind on Affordable Housing Goals
The city aims to build 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2025, but as housing costs continue to increase, more Seattleites are being squeezed out of their homes.

Seattle Remains Far From Its Vision Zero Goals
One Seattle councilmember is calling for more urgency in addressing the city’s rising traffic deaths.

Seattle Prepares for Major Transit Disruptions
Sound Transit claims maintenance work is necessary to prepare for upcoming transit extensions, but critics question the need to make drastic service cuts.

Tsunami Defenses a Tough Sell in the Pacific Northwest
The experience of communities and school districts attempting to build elevated structures for residents to wait out the high water of a tsunami, an inevitable threat in the Pacific Northwest, has been challenging and impossible to differing degrees.

New Community Engagement Practices for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update
A major update of Seattle’s comprehensive plan is just getting under way, with new opportunities for local groups to get involved with outreach and engagement.

Superyachts Calling the Shots for How Light Rail Gets Built in Seattle
Determinations made by the Coast Guard to accommodate superyachts will affect the price of light rail and other bridge projects in Seattle and environs.

How To Preserve Both Affordable Housing and Urban Trees
Housing and environmental activists are calling on the city to commit to a ‘Trees and’ approach, rejecting the perceived conflict between housing affordability and a healthy urban tree canopy.
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EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service