Washington

Road Diet Crash Reduction Variations Studied By DOT

This 4-page summary report (PDF) is a summary of a technical paper attempting to show differences in the reduction in road crashes that result from road diets.

July 12, 2010 - The Highway Safety Information System (U.S. DOT-FHWA)

Electric Highway On its Way to Pacific Northwest

The nation's first electric highway could be coming to the Pacific Northwest.

July 10, 2010 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

'Twilight' Tourism Changes Small Town of Forks

The 'Twilight' series of books and movies has created a tourism industry in the small town of Forks, Washington, population 3,120.

June 25, 2010 - USA Today

Reusing Stalled Construction Sites in Seattle

Officials in Seattle are trying to pass legislation that would allow stalled construction sites to be reused as parking lots and temporary vending areas.

June 15, 2010 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Ten Actions For Cities In Response To Gulf Spill

Grist's Jonathan Hiskes spoke with smart growth leaders to devise strategies that municipalities, as opposed to U.S. government, can take to lessen oil dependency - that are financially sustainable, not overly dependent on technology, and ready to go

June 8, 2010 - Grist

Seattle's Backyard Cottages Encouraged

Don't call them granny flats or inlaw units! These are separate units that can only be built on lots of 4,000 sq. ft. minimum. Only 50 have been built or permitted since the trial began in 2006. The goal is to bring affordabllity to SFH neighborhoods

May 28, 2010 - USA Today

With Transit Funding in the Dumps, Seattle Could Ditch Ride Free Area

A section of downtown Seattle has for decades been a fare-free public transit zone. Those days could be coming to an end.

May 22, 2010 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Carpooling Falls Out of Favor

In Seattle, parking spaces are reserved for people who carpool into downtown. But in recent years, an increasing amount of those parking spaces are empty.

May 21, 2010 - Seattle Weekly

Electric Buses Wear Out

Almost one-fifth of the transit rides in Kings County, Washington are on electric trolley buses. Unfortunately, the county hasn't bought a new trolley since 1979, and when these wear out they may not be replaced.

May 10, 2010 - The Seattle Times

Mayors Say Abolish States

At a recent talk, former mayors Manny Diaz and Greg Nickels (of Miami and Seattle, respectively) talked about the frustration mayors face in having to go to the state to receive funding.

April 26, 2010 - The Naked City

From Bedroom Communities to Jet Engine Communities

More and more people working in the San Francisco Bay Area are opting for cheaper housing outside the region. Some are going way outside the region, commuting by airplane from Portland or Seattle.

April 22, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Completing the Grid to Improve Walkability

Grist's David Roberts maps out why his neighborhood is not walkable and how it could be greatly improved with just a little extra infrastructural connectivity.

April 10, 2010 - Grist

San Francisco Takes Lessons From Seattle Over Sidewalk Sitting

San Francisco's recently passed and controversial sit/lie laws that prohibit sitting on sidewalks were based on a similar rule passed in Seattle in 1993. Though that rule has been on the books for years, its controversy remains.

March 31, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Splicing Small Farms into Residential Development

Small farms are increasingly being integrated into new housing development proposals. One new project in Washington is betting on the growing popularity of local food to draw in homebuyers.

March 19, 2010 - Crosscut

Rethinking Urban Alleyways in Seattle

Through a new competition, the city of Seattle is looking to revive and reuse the alleys of the urban core.

March 18, 2010 - Crosscut

The Importance of Street Names

In Seattle, the street names were settled a century ago. Naming alleys and other unnamed civic features is a way to reclaim urban spaces and enhance heritage. Kurt Cobain Way, anyone?

March 17, 2010 - Crosscut

Community Gardens Sprout in Seattle

Activists in Seattle have created a community garden on empty land to help provide food for the city's needy.

March 2, 2010 - The Seattle Times

Breathing Life Back into Seattle's Alleys

The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.

February 28, 2010 - The Seattle Times

Transforming Seattle's Bell Street Into a Park

Seattle is reclaiming it's right of way to create a pedestrian street. Landscape architects SvR Design Co. and Hewitt presented two different concepts for the park, one that is "measured" and one that "meanders."

February 24, 2010 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Sustainability Through Schools

Efforts to desegregate schools in the 1970s weakened neighborhood ties. Now, a return to school assignments based on where children live could make communities stronger.

February 22, 2010 - Crosscut.com

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.