Washington
Will Portland Lose its Status as America's Bike Commuting Champion?
While bike commuting is gaining nationwide, it's actually dropping in Portland which has held the enviable title of tops in bike commuting for large cities since 2005. Minneapolis and Seattle, #2 and #3 respectively, are gaining, warns BikePortland.
Skagit "Miracle" Bridge Opens on I-5 in Washington
In this editorial, The News Tribune takes aim at the WA State Department of Transportation - in a complimentary way - at the speed and efficiency in which it handled the collapse of the Skagit River Bridge on May 23. The replacement opened Sept. 15.
When Speeding Pays
Speeding is paying-off in the amount of $15 million for Seattle area schools thanks to speed-enforced cameras, a proven but nonetheless controversial traffic safety tool. Revenue will be used to make walking safer under a proposal by Mayor McGinn.
Amazon Primes Seattle for Jolt of Development; Can the City Keep Up?
By building a new headquarters in downtown Seattle, Amazon is attracting residential developers, new restaurants, and other tech companies to a rapidly transforming neighborhood. Can the city keep up with the demand for infrastructure and amenities?
The World's 10 Best Connected Cities
A new report out this week has ranked the Top 10 "Internet Cities" around the globe, based on a set of five criteria: connection speed, availability of citywide WiFi, openness to innovation, support of public data, and security/data privacy.
Complicated Duality of Pacific Northwest's Green Image
The energy industry's plans to transport oil and coal bound for Asia via rail through the Pacific Northwest provokes outrage and a lawsuit.
Bike Lanes Boost Local Businesses
A study of Seattle's bike lanes and small businesses shows that bike lanes strengthen local business sales.
Skyscrapers Rise Again in Seattle, But Who'll Work in Them?
Seattle developers are moving ahead with plans for three new downtown office towers - the first in 20 years - despite abundant vacant space in the area. Much sought-after tech tenants will be a tough lure because “[t]hey like weird buildings.”
How Green Is Your Electric Car? Depends Where You Live
According to a new report from Climate Central, your EV is only as clean as the power plant used to generate the electricity it runs on. Furthermore, due to the huge carbon cost of batteries, a hybrid may be more climate-friendly than a plug-in.
Legislating the Waste of Land
Surveys of parking use in multifamily buildings across Cascadia have quantified the extent to which parking requirements have 'force fed' more spaces into projects than developers would provide based on demand. Alan Durning examines the implications.
Bike Helmets and Bike Share: Unhappy Marriage in Need of Divorce
The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.
Cities Take the Lead to Revive Scuttled Columbia River Bridge Project
Efforts by local leaders to revive a $3.4 billion plan to replace the bridge linking Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington is just the latest example of a trend in metropolitan innovation in the face of federal and state gridlock.
Guerrilla Bike Lane Intervention Leads to Sanctioned Solution in Seattle
Recently, we told you about what may have been the friendliest correspondence ever conducted over the installation and removal of an illicit protected bike lane. We can now report an even happier ending: the implementation of a permanent solution.
Teaching Urban Lessons from Rural Landscapes
Chuck Wolfe's photoshoot in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington State shows the timeless issues of human settlement, from agrarian to urban.
Wash. Gas Tax Legislation Fails in Senate, Killing Columbia River Crossings
Wash. state senate Republicans dealt a crushing blow to governors of both Wash. and Ore. by killing a 10.5-cent gas tax bill needed to tap $850 million in federal funds to finance rebuilding of two, obsolete I-5 spans over the Columbia River.
Low Impact Streetscape Provides a Model for Main Street Revivals
Despite a prickly political atmosphere, the Seattle suburb of Bainbridge Island recently transformed the main artery of its town center, Winslow Way, in what author Mark Hinshaw, FAIA, calls “a really cool way.”
Seeing Dollar Signs, Developers Cater to Cyclists
Seeing an opportunity to cut costs, attract residents, and respond to changing demands of tenants, commercial and residential developers in the Seattle area are investing in amenities for bicyclists.
New Report Calls Attention to Need for Critical Bridge Funding
It may have been serendipity, but Transportation for America's new report on the sorry state of America's bridges, 11% are structurally deficient, was released the same day that a temporary replacement span opened on the Skagit River bridge in Wash.
Cities Struggle to Maintain Affordable Housing Near Transit
In Seattle, and elsewhere, city leaders are struggling to maintain the supply of affordable housing in close proximity to transit stations. Rising rents in areas near stops are displacing lower-income residents.
Two Pessimistic Outlooks on Fixing the Nation's Bridges
Brian Naylor of NPR and Stephen Lee Davis of Transportation for America examine different aspects of the government's inability to ensure that bridges are in a state of good repair.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
