Seattle

Al Fresco Gelato

Prioritizing Open Air Spaces in Pandemic Recovery Efforts

Businesses and public health officials are working together to develop guidelines to provide goods and services to the public safely. They're visioning creative ways to bring businesses outdoors and promoting al fresco spaces.

June 21, 2020 - The Urbanist

Modern high speed bullet train in China

Economic Stimulus: Another Chance for High-Speed Rail in the U.S.?

High-speed rail advocates in the Pacific Northwest are pushing for a high-speed link between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland to be part of future economic stimulus spending in the United States.

June 17, 2020 - The Urbanist

Port of Seattle

With a Key Bridge Cracked and Closed, Seattle Considers Another Tunnel

The West Seattle Bridge, a key artery for car commuters in Seattle, has been closed since March, and the city has begun to consider a broad array of options for repairing or replacing the span.

June 11, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Wood Construction

Proposed Mass Timber High-Rise In Seattle Adds Six Stories

A proposal for the development of a mass timber high-rise in First Hill is under community review in Seattle. The project, which adjusted plans to add an additional 6 floors, proposes the tallest mass timber building in Seattle.

May 21, 2020 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

R.H. Thomson Expressway

'Ramps to Nowhere' Will Come Down in Seattle as New Debates Heat Up

The history of Seattle's opposition to car infrastructure is being commemorated while it's being made.

May 20, 2020 - Crosscut

pedestrians in a Time of Coronavirus

Vehicles Restrictions for COVID-19 Made Permanent for Seattle Streets

The temporary measures of the coronavirus pandemic are being made permanent fixtures on 20 miles of streets in Seattle.

May 10, 2020 - The Seattle Times

King County Metro Transit

Transit Service Restored in Seattle Area, With New Social Distancing Practices in Place

Seatback signage and reduced capacity will allow King County Metro to begin resuming bus service. In the wake of staff illness and depleted funding, the road to Metro's recovery could be quite long.

May 8, 2020 - The Urbanist

Coronavirus Testing

Seattle Needs Walk-Up Testing for People Without Access to Cars

Disability rights advocates and people who rely on public transit put pressure on Mayor Jenny Durkan to develop a plan for pedestrian access to coronavirus testing centers in Seattle.

April 19, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Sound Transit Seattle

All Sound Transit Routes Get New, Alphanumeric Names

The "Red Line" didn't fly with people living in neighborhoods historically redlined by discriminatory real estate and land use practices.

April 16, 2020 - The Urbanist

Gentrification

Disaster Gentrification and COVID-19

Disaster gentrification is a widely documented phenomenon, like in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The coronavirus and the resulting economic downturn could have similar consequences.

April 13, 2020 - Crosscut

City Kids

Project For Public Spaces Launches Initiative to Improve Marketplaces Worldwide

Project for Public Spaces' Market Cities Initiative seeks to understand and addresses challenges faced by the public marketplaces to improve market infrastructure and promote healthy food systems in local communities.

April 9, 2020 - Project For Public Spaces

Interbay Seattle

Seattle Interbay Industrial Plan Is Dead

Many elements of the plan for the Ballard-Interbay were never implemented, and its relevance as a planning document is over.

April 8, 2020 - The Urbanist

Social Distancing

Digital Design Review Approved in Seattle

Emergency legislation has cleared the way for a virtual design review process to keep the wheels of the development industry moving in one of the nation's fastest growing cities.

April 8, 2020 - The Urbanist

Coronavirus

Learning from Seattle

The original epicenter of coronavirus outbreak was also the first region in the nation to implement social distancing measures, serving as a national model of behaviors that lessen the spread of the deadly virus.

April 7, 2020 - The New York Times

Seattle Electric Bus

King County Postpones August Target for Transit Sales Tax Initiative

King County, home to Seattle, will wait to ask voters to approve a 0.2% sales tax for funding transit until a time both when transit use is higher, and people aren’t facing waves of sudden unemployment.

March 20, 2020 - The Urbanist

People on Bikes and Pedestrians

Bikes Gain Popularity as People Ditch Subways and Buses

Bike counts and bike share rides are increasing in two of the country's largest cities as commuters look for transportation modes that allow for physical distancing.

March 18, 2020 - The New York Times

kent, Washington

Dispute Over Siting of Coronavirus Quarantine Facility in Washington State

The Seattle area is ground zero for the coronavirus in the U.S., where 10 of the 11 deaths as of March 5 have occurred. King County's decision to purchase a motel in Kent for use as a quarantine facility is being met with protests by city officials.

March 8, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Epdemiology

NIMBY Politics Sway the Fight to Contain Coronavirus

A week after the Orange County city of Costa Mesa filed a restraining order against the federal government and the state of California over the use of a state-owned facility as an isolation site for coronavirus patients, the feds dropped the plan.

March 4, 2020 - Daily Pilot (Los Angeles Times)

Seattle Neighborhood

The Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Era Concludes in Seattle

Before YIMBY was a household word and before Minneapolis ended single-family zoning, Seattle's Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) broke the planning status quo.

February 26, 2020 - Sightline Institute

Transit Priority

Transit-Friendly Makeover for Downtown Seattle Street

Transit commutes have borne the brunt of ongoing deconstruction work around Alaskan Viaduct in Downtown Seattle. Allowing two-way bus-only lanes on Columbia Street is supposed to improve the situation.

February 21, 2020 - The Urbanist

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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