Washington
Seattle Adopts New Bicycle Master Plan
Resolution 31515, which officially approved the Bicycle Master Plan, is called a “transformational new way of thinking about bicycle projects within Seattle.” Time, and funding, will tell if the plan lives up to its promise.
Caltrans Really Is Becoming More Bike and Walk Friendly
News flash: California has become only the third state to endorse the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ (NACTO) Urban Street Design Guidelines to enable more walk and bike friendly projects such as protected bike lanes.
Debating Proposition 1: Funding Transit in Seattle’s King County
“Vote no on Proposition 1, and send King County government a message that Metro has more work to do on righting its cost structure before asking voters for more revenue,” says an editorial from the Seattle Times.
Seattle Updating Zoning Regulations for Small Single-Family Lots
Planners in Seattle have responded to controversy over the size and scale of development on small lots in many of the city's single-family neighborhoods, with a new set of zoning regulations.
Catastrophic Mud Slide in Washington—Could it Have Been Prevented?
The death toll in this rural area 55 miles north of Seattle in Snohomish County is expected to rise. Rain had saturated the ground and led to the collapse of a hillside about 600 feet high and 1,500 feet long. But was the slide foreseeable?
Seattle Caps Number of Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar Drivers
Seattle is the first city in the country to limit the number of transportation network drivers allowed on the road at any given moment. The new regulation is a setback for companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar and a major victory for cab companies.
The End of the $2.8 Billion Columbia River Crossing Project
The Oregon Legislature adjourned this week with no actions regarding the Columbia River Crossing—a controversial project with opponents on either side of the aisle.
A Small City’s Quest for A Walkable Downtown
The city of Yakima, Washington, is exploring ideas to convert two large surface parking lots occupying valuable land in the city’s downtown core into a pedestrian friendly district.
Checking in on Seattle's Ambitious Waterfront Park Plans
A recent article by Bill Lucia explains the reasons to be cautiously optimistic about a proposed park that will replace a demolished Alaskan Viaduct on Seattle’s waterfront.
High Speed Locomotive Contract for Five States Awarded to Siemans AG
A $226 million contract to build 32 higher speed diesel locomotives, capable of reaching 125 mph, was awarded to the team of the German conglomerate, Siemens AG and Indiana-based engine maker Cummins, Inc over Peoria, Ill. based Caterpillar, Inc.
Seattle's Bell Street Park Is a Pedestrian Friendly Dream
The newly opened Bell Street Park in Seattle offers the kind of "social friction" Leigh Gallagher called for in Friday's NYT with "planters, perches ... and the simplest but most innovative feature of all, a level plane between sidewalk and street."
Seattle's Growth Patterns Buck Century-Long Trend
According to Census data, the city of Seattle's population is growing faster than its King County suburbs—for the first time since 1910.
Forget Sunk Cost—What's the Best Way to Spend Bertha's Remaining Funds?
Seattle’s massive highway tunneling project delays while solutions are sought for the mechanical error that brought the project’s massive drilling machine, Bertha, to a halt. Some are starting to examine life after Bertha.
What 'Second Cities' Teach About Branding
A recent news broadcast showed the mayor of Tacoma with a backdrop of the city of Seattle. The feeling of being hidden in the shadow of larger, older neighbor cities is familiar all over the world, but what are “kid sister” cities to do about it?
Placemaking Lessons Learned from Seattle's Super Bowl Parade
Last Wednesday, an estimated 700,000—more than the city's population of 635,000—welcomed the Seahawks home, without major incident. Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe describes five lessons for placemaking through words and photographs.
Starfish Are Mysteriously Dying by the ‘Tens of Thousands’
Up and down the West Coast, Texas, and in some places on the East Coast, starfish are dying off and washing up on shore in distressing quantities. The so-called "sea star wasting syndrome" has also been called a “mass mortality event.”
Federal ‘Fishery Disaster’ Declared in Washington State
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce has declared the Fraser River sockeye salmon run a “fishery disaster.” The declaration will produce funding to offset the impacts for nine tribes and non-tribal fishers in Washington state.
Seattle Looks to Data Centers for Heat, Hot Water
Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is looking to an unusual source for energy: the area’s data centers.
More Bad News for Columbia River Crossing Bridge Project
The beleaguered project, which already lost funding support from the state of Washington, is likely off the table in Oregon, according to reports. The project’s failure sends a bad signal about the political reality of replacing unsafe bridges.
Bill Would Protect 126,000 Acres on the Olympic Peninsula
Washington Senator Patty Murray has proposed federal legislation to protect a broad swatch of land adjacent to Olympic National Park as part of the “Wild Olympics” campaign. The legislation is opposed by logging interests.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
