Impatient with the city's light rail expansion plans, some residents are looking to aerial gondolas as a new mode of public transit.

A proposed aerial gondola could shuttle Seattle residents from downtown to West Seattle by 2024. The plan for the West Seattle SkyLink, proposed by a group of neighborhood activists, is gaining some traction as a possible alternative to existing light rail plans, which are currently projected to cost $600 million per mile and reach completion in 2031. Advocates hope to convince Sound Transit that the aerial gondola is a more cost-efficient option. The agency has reappropriated funds in the past: when safety concerns about tunneling for the Link light rail line stopped construction in 2005, the agency funded the First Hill line of the Seattle Streetcaras a replacement.
Used in some cities with challenging terrain, urban aerial gondolas can solve space issues in dense, hilly areas. In Colombia, Medellin's Metrocable system carries commuters over 9 miles of cable across the city's steep terrain. The SkyLink's proponents hope that they can convince Americans to support the technology, which, they say, could be less obtrusive and cause less displacement than other forms of transit and get built faster and more cheaply than light rail.
Opponents argue that the gondola's low passenger capacity, slower speed, and risk of inflated costs make it a much less efficient option. Citing the Medellin gondola's relatively low daily ridership, rail supporters claim that a comprehensive light rail network, planned with long-term expansion in mind, can serve more users more effectively safely than aerial gondolas.

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Over 71K Office-to-Apartment Units in the Pipeline for 2025
Adaptive reuse projects are continuing to bring thousands of new housing units onto the market as demand for office space remains low.

How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service