Choo-choo preview: The Seattle Times gets to go on ride-along at the unfinished stations and tunnel ($) of Northgate Link; the last leg of digging to Husky Stadium is almost done.
Endless construction: An explainer on why New York City’s streets are always under construction ($).
Landmark policy: Social justice advocates praise the passage of Seattle’s mandatory affordable housing program.
Safe harbors: Are there really safe space for immigrants?
Helping hands: Port Orchard is forming a committee to study solutions to homelessness.
Think like Jane: Public space master Jan Gehl says that Copenhagen needs more Jane Jacobs.
Lidding the beast: Dallas wants to build over a major freeway–with a parking garage. Meanwhile, Atlanta has a much more ambitious plan of cover its central freeway with a series of park spaces.
Broken: A look at the “chaos, trash, and tears” ($) resulting from Seattle’s homeless sweeps.
Hard departure: A Palo Alto Planning Commissioner steps down leaving behind very harsh words for colleagues and community.
What we already knew: High traffic arterial roads reduce the quality of life, even a few blocks away, according to a recent study.
Mending communities: Belfast has long had “peace walls” to separate Catholic and Protestant communities as a safeguard, but there is now a process to begin removing them, which is deeply challenging.
Engaged tenants: A renter summit is coming to Capitol Hill in September.
Terror for renters: A new apartment bidding platform may become a thing.
Slowhattan: Lower Manhattan will get 5 mph speed limits for a day.
More space for feet: The famed Brooklyn Bridge could get a much needed expansion for people walking and biking ($).
Hidden poverty: Strong Towns takes a look at suburban poverty in Florida.
Win-win: In exchange for preserving a historic facade, a local developer has remodeled and added to Capitol Hill building.
Not fit for office: Sen. Reuven Carlyle has gone rouge with extremist anti-tax rhetoric on authorizing Sound Transit 3 funding; but colleagues and advocates continue to pile on to denounce and refute his claims.
Results are in: Houston enacted a sweeping bus network restructure last year and the numbers are in suggesting that it delivering modest ridership gains.
The hottest: Climate change is in full leaving July as the hottest month on record globally.
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.