Giving back: Amazon plans to open a temporary homeless shelter.
Big plans: Seattle University reveals plans for a new 10-story office and dormitory tower.
Another record: Central Link sees new year-over-year ridership high in February – one month before the University Link extension.
Sit back and relax: The Guild 45th in Wallingford was recently nominated for historic preservation status; the cinema could become four or five small theatres.
Sky terraces: Forget lidding I-5, connecting the waterfront to Freeway Park with rooftop green spaces via skybridges and stairs in Downtown Seattle is the next big idea.
Goodbye brutal reactor: The University of Washington wins its case against the City of Seattle over local historic preservation laws.
Water wars: Colorado just approved the use of 55-gallon rainwater barrels for domestic use, but a battle is still brewing over water rights doctrines in Western states.
For the little guy: A Seattle committee will evaluate rent control for small businesses.
Raw deal: Knute over at Crosscut says that local politicians need to end their enthusiasm for the ill-advised arena proposal in SoDo.
Urban art: An artist used 50 buildings in Cairo as a massive canvas and the results are stunning.
Long-range planning: What the bus network in Capitol Hill could look like in 2025 and beyond.
Pedestrianized street: Capitol Hill piloted nighttime festival streets in Pike-Pine last summer, but some businesses are not so keen on a return for this year.
Energized: The Seattle Department of Transportation is looking to fill in trolley wire gaps on 23rd Avenue to fully electrify Route 48.
Rising fears: Sea level rise by 2,100 could be much worse than many experts have thought.
Crime fighter: Green space can be a big solution in fighting urban crime.
Retrofit the suburbs: City Observatory explores the curious case of an affluent area in Chicagoland that wants more transit, but where existing land use patterns essentially prohibit effective use of transit.
Vote early, vote often: Help nominate the worst Seattle intersection for 2016. And then take the ST3 Draft Plan, Metro late night bus, and Metro long-range plan surveys.
Bikes are transit: DC’s Metrorail closed down for a day in March and Capital Bikeshare saw a huge spike in usage.
Map of the Week: What if America was formed around seven mega city-regions instead of states in the Lower 48?
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.