Washington

Washington State Needs Funding to Address Culvert Issue
Orcas and tribes depend on salmon, but culverts are blocking the fish from reaching breeding grounds. The state is struggling to come up with funding to remove and repair the infrastructure.

New BRT Launching in Snohomish County, Washington
It's only the county's second bus rapid transit route, but planners hope the Swift Green Line will eventually connect with a more robust network of BRT and rail service.

Seattle Gives Final Approval to 27 Upzones
An historic moment for planning in Seattle: Density bonuses for affordable housing are now allowed all over the city as Seattle implements a big piece of its long-percolating Mandatory Housing Affordability plan.

Express Bus Service Coming to the Suburbs South of Seattle
New intercity bus transit service is in the works in King County, Washington.

Tacoma Weighs Bus Rapid Transit
Pierce Transit has proposed a new Bus Rapid Transit line to speed travel, but Tacoma residents have bristled at the prospect of losing front lawns and parking spaces.

Pedestrian Head Starts Key to Vision Zero Goals in Seattle
Seattle is working toward its Vision Zero goals, after a year in which most people killed by drivers in the city were pedestrians.

When Light Rail Comes to Suburban Washington, So Do Bigger Plans
Mountlake Terrace, located about halfway between Seattle and Everett, will soon have new building heights to go along with a new light rail station.

Accessory Dwelling Units Find Public Support in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington, a city of over 200,000 residents in the Pacific Northwest, is making room for more.

Anti-Displacement Policies Proposed by Seattle Politicians
The mayor and a councilmember both made potentially sweeping proposals to address displacement as the city moves forward with plans to upzone neighborhoods, in keeping with the Mandatory Housing Affordability policy.

Expansion Planned for Low-Income Bus Pass Program in Seattle
The ORCA Opportunity program will provide free bus passes to some of the city’s low-income residents.

Seattle Could Be at the Forefront of the Mass Timber Industry
Cross-laminated timber offers a multitude of environmental and economic benefits. With the state’s resources and Seattle’s construction needs, the city is the ideal location for mass timber production to take off.

$738 Million Parks Levy on the Ballot for Seattle Area Voters
King County, Washington voters will vote on a parks levy reauthorization in August—at stake is $738 million over the six years to fund improvements to the Seattle area's parks, trails, and open space.

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.
Pagination
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions