Washington

Homeless Services

Sales Tax, Not Property Tax, Preferred Funding Tool for Seattle's Homeless Crisis

Seattle's King County is home to an estimated 10,000 unsheltered homeless people. Local officials are trying to figure out how to raise the funds to address the crisis.

April 6, 2017 - KUOW

Seattle Tunnel Boring

Bertha Finally Breaks On Through (To the Other Side)

The Bertha tunnel boring machine was once stuck under the city of Seattle for more than a year. Now it has reached its goal, four years after it began its journey.

April 5, 2017 - Publicola

Seattle

So Long Pronto! Today Is Seattle Bikeshare's Last Day

A sad day for bikeshare.

March 31, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Walking the Dog

Seattle's New Updated Pedestrian Master Plan Includes $22 Million for Sidewalks

The promised update for the city of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan was released to the public last week.

March 27, 2017 - Office of the Mayor Edward B. Murray

Risk Reduction

'Supervised Injection Facilities'—Successful in Canada, Coming to the U.S.

Needle exchanges are still controversial in some parts of the country, so expect "supervised injection facilities" to be even more so.

March 27, 2017 - Governing

Seattle Bus Rain

Where Transit Investment Costs the Most Per Capita

For all the attention paid the transit investments of cities like New York City and Los Angeles, it's actually cities like Seattle and Denver spending the most per capita on capital investments in transit.

March 22, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Seattle Transit

Seattle's Big 'RapidRide' Expansion Coming Into Focus

The city of Seattle is hard at work planning a significant expansion to RapidRide bus service.

March 19, 2017 - The Urbanist

Seattle Hoping to Extend a Successful Traffic Safety Project

After repainting the lanes on Rainier Avenue in Seattle, the street works better for everyone. If it's that easy, why isn't the model implemented more widely?

February 27, 2017 - Seattle Bike Blog

Seattle Apartments

Seattle Considering a First-Ever Renters' Commission

In Seattle, about 54 percent of the households rent their homes, but they have few places to collectively voice their opinions on critical matters like rent control, move-in fees, and transit. Some city councilmembers hope to change that, however.

February 26, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Culvert

Blocked Culverts Continue to Plague Washington Salmon Habitat

Ineffective, blocked, obsolete, and in disrepair—Washington is full of culverts that pose an impediment to the survival of salmon. A court decision should have fixed the problem, but the state's budget has a long way to go to clean up the mess.

February 24, 2017 - KUOW

Seattle Train

Buzzing Job Market Means More Transit Riders in Seattle

Solo drivers are down and transit commuters are up in Seattle.

February 21, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Airport

New Master Plan in the Works at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) will set an vision for 20 years of growth at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

February 20, 2017 - The Urbanist

I-5 Bridge

Back From the Dead: The Columbia River Crossing Between Portland and Vancouver

Washington lawmakers are looking for solutions to worsening congestion between their state and the city of Portland—possible solutions includes a controversial bridge proposal that had been abandoned for years.

February 19, 2017 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Empty Retail

Should Online Shopping Change How We Use Ground-Level Space?

Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?

February 19, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Amazon Drive Thru

Seattle: Amazon's Testing Ground for Retail Experiments

Amazon Go stores started in the ground floor of an Amazon office building. The company is trying other retail experiments, like a drive-up grocery store, in Seattle, where executives can watch the experiments up close.

February 17, 2017 - The New York Times

Seattle Bus Stop

Seattle Area to Get a Big Boost in Late-Night Bus Service

Look on Seattle's King County with envy, fans of late-night transit service.

February 16, 2017 - The Urbanist

Seattle Bikeshare

The Death of Pronto!

Seattle's bikeshare found itself in a negative feedback loop of low ridership, lean revenue, and limited facilities.

February 15, 2017 - CityLab

Sad Place Name

Sunday Fun: Behind Washington State's Monopoly on Sad Place Names

Yikes, Washington. What's the deal with all those sad place names?

February 12, 2017 - KUOW

How Fair Use Brought Pac-Man to the Streets of Seattle

Maybe we are going to jinx the city of Seattle by bringing it up, but not everything has to be expensive and litigious.

February 11, 2017 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Solidarity

Unlikely Public Engagement Tactics Get Results for Small Towns

Four small cities across the country are seeing positive results with non-traditional public engagement strategies like bouncy castles, beer coasters, and ball games.

February 11, 2017 - Orton Family Foundation

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.

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.