Washington

Everywhere, Signs of Demise for the Planning Status Quo
The plans, they are a-changin.

Electric Vehicle-Ready Parking Proposed for All New Seattle Buildings
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan proposed new electric vehicle parking requirements in the recent State of the City address, but the proposal is in keeping with the Seattle Climate Action Plan released in April 2018.

Seattle Sustains Record Development Boom
In the past ten years, Downtown Seattle has built more housing than all of San Francisco.

Lyft Goes Greener With EVs
Lyft will add electric vehicles to its rental fleet and offer riders the option to request hybrid and electric vehicles.

Two Cities That Reduced Driving Over a Decade
Minneapolis and Seattle bucked national trends by increasing active transportation and use of public transit in recent years.

Post-Mortem: Why Amazon Canceled the Queens HQ2
New York City and State offered up nearly $3 billion in incentives to lure Amazon and its 25,000 high-paying jobs to Queens only to see the tech company cancel their plans after local opposition materialized. Was their retreat too hasty?

More Bad Polling News for Cordon Area Congestion Pricing in the U.S.
Only a handful of cities in North America are considering applying tolls to congested urban streets, as opposed to highways. Efforts in one of those cities, San Francisco, just received negative polling results on a potential $3 auto access fee.

Washington Ferry Ridership Continues to Grow
The state's ferry system has seen ridership increases year after year, and a new plan outlines the long-range measures needed to keep up with the growth.

'Emergency Snow Network' Plan Put Into Service in Seattle
Monday marked the first time King County Metro Transit has deployed its almost-decade-old plan to deal with winter conditions.

Tracking the Skyward Progress of Western U.S. Cities
A Washington Post feature analyzes the changing skylines of cities from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

Seattle Transit Investments Show Promising Results
The Seattle Transportation Benefit District has led to a growth in ridership and improved access to frequent service, according to a third-year performance report.

Seattle to Build Housing Alongside Light Rail
Seattle is going beyond transit oriented development by building apartments on parcels of land near stations.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Legislation Proposed in Washington Sets a New Standard
If it approves HB 1797, Washington will pace the rest of the nation (even California and Oregon) on reforming zoning to allow more accessory dwelling units.

New Marketing Campaign: Pushing People to Drive More in Seattle
Now that Seattle has proven they don't need the new Highway 99 tunnel that will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, will enough people use it in the future to cover the costs of construction, operation, and maintenance?

Costs and Outcomes of Seattle Sidewalk Program
Move Seattle included a promise of 250 blocks of new sidewalks and pathways. But costs are much higher than predicted and the low-cost pathways are minimal improvements for pedestrians.

First 'Creative District' Designated in Washington
A new creative district program in the state of Washington is modeled on the program in Colorado, among others.

An Interstate High-Speed Rail Authority on the Legislative Agenda in Washington
A big idea is gaining momentum.

Microsoft's $500 Million Pledge to Solve Housing in Seattle and its Suburbs
You might have read that headline and wondered why other wealthy tech companies aren't stepping up to make contributions to their home towns. There is a lot to understand about this news before jumping to conclusions.

The Carmageddon Myth
Seattle recently closed the Alaskan Way Viaduct, but the predicted traffic chaos hasn’t ensued.

Big Surprise: Congestion Pricing Tolls Don't Poll Well
As Seattle prepares a possible cordon area congestion pricing plan to tackle both traffic congestion and climate change, The Seattle Times did a poll on two applications of congestion pricing: urban tolls and adding express toll lanes to freeways.
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