High times: Seattle business license fees could rise for marijuana businesses to pay for high inspection and enforcement costs associated with regulating the industry.
To save or not to save: The West Coast Printing building on Rainier Avenue could get historic landmark status.
At a crossroads: Seattle Bike Blog decries the recent Waterfront Seattle design proposal over the amount of space given over to car storage.
Many strategies needed: According to CityLab, “a new report on the affordable housing crisis warns that there’s no one single strategy that has yet proven effective in stemming the displacement of lower-income families.”
Private and semi-private space: Urban kchoze takes a look at the North American experience with porches and front yards.
Trick or treat: What makes for a good trick-or-treating neighborhood?
Philly’s High Line: Philadelphia is getting its own kind of High Line elevated rail-to-trail corridor.
Swank high-rise: A new 14-story mixed-use hotel and condo is planned for Chinatown-International District.
Public lands at stake: The next Public Lands Commissioner will rule one-fourth of Washington.
Non-equivalence: What’s wrong with comparing Seattle to Houston?
Infilling U Village: University Village, the trendy Northeast Seattle lifestyle shopping center, is planning to infill its property with more structured parking and retail space.
Use it or pay up: Washington, D.C. is raising taxes for blighted and vacant properties.
Still tanking speculation: Vancouver, B.C.’s 15% tax on foreign homebuyers continues to drive down housing prices in the city.
Housing affordability: Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns writes a series on housing affordability after a trip to Portland.
New owner ready: Capitol Hill’s historic Odd Fellows Building is up for sale.
Rent burdened: Nearly half of Seattle renters are paying more than 30% of their income on housing, which typically is the point at which a household is considered rent burdened.
Seismic retrofit: An iconic masonry apartment building on 17th Ave and John St is getting seismic upgrades.
Keeping local roots: Does small, local retail matter?
Turn them off: The case against neighbors with leaf blowers.
French placemaking: Three examples of well designed streets in France.
Rising tide of the bike: Bicycling rates have been skyrocketing in Copenhagen while driving rates decline.
Map of the Week: New York City has conducted a tree census to map and inventory the city’s tree canopy.
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.