Seattle

Sound Transit Seattle

Price Tag Jumps for Seattle Light Rail Projects

Land values and construction costs have increased since voters approved the Sound Transit 3 ballot initiative.

January 12, 2021 - The Seattle Times

Broadway Bike Lane

The Uncertain Future of Seattle's Bicycle Master Plan

By prioritizing a multi-modal approach and preserving existing vehicle space, the Seattle Department of Transportation risks abandoning the goals of its bicycle master plan.

January 4, 2021 - Seattle Bike Blog

Uber App

The Price of an Uber Ride to Increase in Seattle Jan. 1—to the Benefit of Drivers

A new law setting a minimum wage for Uber drivers takes effect in the New Year.

December 31, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Japan High Speed Rail

WSDOT Report Outlines Plan for Cascadia High-Speed Rail

A regional high-speed rail network could be coming to the Pacific Northwest, linking cities from Oregon to British Columbia.

December 31, 2020 - The Urbanist

Seattle

High Costs Lead Seattle to Scale Back Earthquake Work on Bridges

After underestimating costs by hundreds of millions, Seattle is forced to cut back on proposed seismic improvements for the city's bridges.

December 29, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Maokong Sky Gondola

Seattle Neighborhood Groups Propose Aerial Gondola to Replace Light Rail Expansion

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

December 28, 2020 - The Urbanist

Protected Bike Lane

Seattle's Homeless Bearing the Brunt of Helmet Citations

Almost half of bike helmet citations in the city are issued to people experiencing homelessness.

December 28, 2020 - Crosscut

Link and Bus Seattle

Transit's Big Day at the Ballot Box

Even with the fiscal uncertainty of the pandemic, voters around the country overwhelmingly supported new funding for public transit projects.

December 10, 2020 - TransitCenter

Seattle

Researchers Flaunt the Benefits of Reduced Minimum Parking Requirements

Seattle is one of the U.S. cities shrinking minimum parking requirements to allow for denser, more affordable development near transit.

December 2, 2020 - Transfers Magazine

Puget Sound

Cascadia Expects Millions of New Residents. Should it Build New Cities or New Density?

A recent report calls for the region stretching from Oregon to British Columbia to think big about accommodating expected population growth. The report's recommendation to build four new, large cities isn't universally accepted, however.

November 30, 2020 - KUOW

Transportation Planning

Criticisms for Two Seattle Transportation Studies

Two studies begin the process of spending billions of dollars for infrastructure in Ballard and Interbay in Seattle. According to this critique, the effort is off on the wrong foot.

November 25, 2020 - The Urbanist

Duwamish River

A Big Trail Win for Seattle

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle City Council have given all the funding necessary to make the Georgetown-to-South Park Trail a reality.

November 24, 2020 - The Urbanist

Beacon Hill Intersection

Seattle Lacks Accessible Pedestrian Signals At Most Intersections

Processing a growing backlog of requests, Seattle Department of Transportation must prioritize which intersections will be made accessible.

November 23, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Port of Seattle

Scrambling to Replace the Heavily Used West Seattle Bridge

The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge Safety Project is in high gear, more than six months after the city's most heavily trafficked bridge was closed suddenly for safety risks.

November 19, 2020 - The Urbanist

Seattle, Washington

How Seattle Plans to Leverage Public Resources to Protect Arts and Culture

The Cultural Space Agency, proposed in Seattle, would be a new type of public development authority, a city agency with a mission to preserve and create arts and culture in the face of gentrification.

November 10, 2020 - Crosscut

Seattle, Washington

New Long-Term Regional Plan for Puget Sound Approved

The regional planning organization for the four-county area around Puget Sound has adopted a new long-term plan for the future.

November 8, 2020 - The Urbanist

Capital Metro Metrorail

State and Local Votes Reveal Widespread Support for Public Transit

There's a narrative to be built from the results of state and local elections on issues of public transit funding: voters continue to support more funding for public transit projects and programs.

November 5, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

King County Metro Transit

Transit Spending on the Ballot in Seattle and Washington

Voters in the city of Seattle will consider a sales tax to fund bus transit service, while voters around the state of Washington will have a chance to send new leaders to Congress.

November 2, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Seattle Coronavirus

Seattle Extends Outdoor Dining for a Year, Eases Rules on Heaters for the Winter

Outdoor dining is going to hang out for a bit.

October 22, 2020 - Eater Seattle

Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge

A Thorough, Mixed Review for a New Protected Bike Lane in Seattle

So many highly anticipated bike facilities finally deliver only to fall short of real game changing status. Seattle provides the latest example of the phenomenon in the wild.

October 20, 2020 - The Urbanist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.