Washington
Seattle Moves in a Big Way on Election Day
Prop. 1, a $930 million, nine-year transportation levy backed by Mayor Ed Murray, was approved by 54 percent of Seattle voters on Nov. 3 to the delight of bus, bike, pedestrian and good roads advocates. First order of business: Safe Routes to School.

Seattle Has a Low-Cost Plan for 250 Blocks of New Sidewalks
Seattle political leadership recently announced an ambitious plan to build more sidewalks with less money.
Op-Ed Calls Density the 'Mortal Enemy of Trees'—Debate Ensues
A surprising argument from an article in Seattle publication Crosscut this week: density is the mortal enemy of trees.
Controversial 'Bus and Bike' Ballot Measure on Seattle's November Ballot
Seattle voters will decide on Prop. 1, a $985 million transportation levy known as Move Seattle, unanimously endorsed by the City Council and strongly backed by Mayor Ed Murray. However, the bus and bike priorities attracted a well-funded opponent.
Debunking the Data Behind Seattle's 'Explosion of Demolitions'
According to an article by The Urbanist, some Seattle publications might have been caught telling people what they want to hear, rather than offering clear perspective on the building trends of the city.

Advocates Push for Affordable Housing on Dormant Public Property
Affordable housing advocates are pushing the city to use underutilized city owned property to build more housing, but it doesn't always pencil out.

Safe Routes for All Seattle Schools
Seattle continues to expand its efforts to improve walkability with the Safe Routes to School Program.

Lawyer Sees the 'Ghost of Seattle's Future'
This favorable profile of Jack McCullough, a Seattle lawyer representing developers, highlights his role as a deal-maker. Recent agreements between his clients and Mayor Ed Murray may preserve a path forward for affordable housing.

Seattle Looks to San Francisco—For What Not To Do
San Francisco has long been the envy of other cities. But in recent years, as real estate prices have skyrocketed and the city's soul seems on the wane, many cities have begun looking at San Francisco as an example of what not to do.
Seattle Bikeshare Going Public
The city of Seattle is considering a significant public investment in its bikeshare system, treading where some cities have feared to tread.

Major Transit Service Improvements in Seattle
Late last month, the final phase of Seattle's Prop. 1 went into effect, bringing across-the-board improvements to bus and train frequency.

Reaching Vision Zero: Road Diets and Wider Lanes?
Slowing traffic by reducing the width of lanes should not be a one-size fits all approach to reaching Vision Zero.

Pavement Parks: a Better Parklet Alternative
Too often, street-side parklets become little more than semi-private patios for the businesses that sponsor them. Pavement parks, replacing dangerous intersections, may be a more worthwhile option.

Seattle's Struggle to Build Affordable Housing
The Emerald City's affordable housing difficulties mirror those of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others: too much demand and too few resources.
King County, Sound Transit Announce $83 Million for Transit Oriented Development
A new regional transit oriented development initiative in Seattle will focus on affordable housing and walkable communities. The Executive's Transit Station Housing and Development Initiative will partner King County and Sound Transit.
Health by Design: Findings from ULI
A new ULI report finds that innovation in placemaking is about the inter-relatedness of health and the built environment.
Washington State's First Express Toll Lanes Open
Washington has Express Lanes on I-5 and I-90 and HOT Lanes on SR 167, but the 17 miles of lanes that opened Sunday on I-405 from Bellevue to Lynnwood will be the state's first Express Toll Lanes.
Seattle Makes Grassroots Crosswalk Design Official
Seattle will implement a process by which neighborhoods can take the Tactical Urbanism practice of DIY sidewalks a step further—by officially approving local designs for sidewalks.
19 Progressive Recommendations for Seattle's Housing Crisis
The Urbanist chose 19 of the progressive recommendations from a total of 65 put forward by the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Advisory Committee (HALA) committee.
Lessons from Washington's Record Breaking Wildfire Season
The largest fire in the state history is burning in Washington. This year's particularly bad fires had predictable, perhaps preventable, origins.
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