Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
Washington
Outdoor dining is going to hang out for a bit.
Eater 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.
The Urbanist
The Washington Supreme Court struck down an initiative that would have cost state and local governments an estimated $4.2 billion in transportation funding.
Crosscut
A September 2 memo by the Trump administration warned of punitive actions against New York City, Seattle, Portland, and Washington, D.C. A recently announced federal funding opportunity makes good on the threat.
The New York Daily News
A law passed in March allowing people on bikes to treat stop signs as yield signs when conditions permit takes effect today in Washington State.
KUOW
It's been eight months since the first confirmed infection from the novel coronavirus in Washington state. As deadly as COVID-19 is, Americans should reflect when 200,000 died in a single month from a far deadlier virus 102 years ago.
The New York Times
The ADUniverse website offers pre-approved designs for homeowners who want to add Accessory Dwelling Units on properties in Seattle.
The Urbanist
College towns that have been observing public health guidelines and seen relatively few COVID-19 cases are now seeing infections spike as young people return to take classes. The New York Times has been tracking cases in colleges and college towns.
The New York Times
With the Northgate link light rail expansion project nearing completion and the effects of the pandemic lingering, Sound Transit will change its bus routes in 2021. The transit authority focuses on equity in plotting the route changes.
The Urbanist
More than a dozen states are using Community Development Block Grant funding from the CARES Act to fund emergency rental and mortgage assistance programs.
Shelterforce Magazine
Philanthropic giving is providing a light in the dark of the economic downturn.
Capital Hill Seattle Blog
A proposal to link local and regional buses with the East Link light rail expansion in Mercer Island, already under construction, threatens to boil over into the courtroom.
Mercer Island Reporter
The majority of pedestrian master plans consider how to make equitable walking infrastructure. Less than half of plans implement strategies to address the fact that people of color are disproportionately represented in pedestrian fatalities.
Streetsblog USA
The subdivision process imposes rules that result in a lack flexibility, convoluted urban design, and diced up landscapes.
The Urbanist
The Madison Bus Rapid Transit LIne, also known as the RapidRide G Line, got a green light from federal authorities to move forward in the grant funding process.
Seattle Department of Transportation
The Seattle Planning Commission recently published a report titled "A Racially Equitable and Resilient Recovery."
The Urbanist
Two dams have been removed from watersheds in Washington State in as many months.
The Seattle Times
It took years of work to remove a dam owned by the city of Bellingham in Washington State, but for wildlife in the area, the project is definitely worth the effort.
EcoWatch
Washington State planners have completed a feasibility study into the proposed East-West Passenger Rail System for Washington State.
The Urbanist
While not conclusive, evidence suggests that relatively few transmissions of the coronavirus occurred during the widespread protests that followed the death of George Floyd due to the outdoor settings, being in motion and wearing of masks.
The Washington Post
