America’s darkest hour: Donald Trump has now stepped into the Office of the President as the most disliked, unqualified, and hate-filled president the likes of which we’ve never known; his inaugural speech paints a bleak picture for the future.
Converting empty space: Amsterdam is giving huge incentives to shop owners with empty upper floors to convert them to housing units.
Super-commutes: The Puget Sound has traffic because people commute so far.
Union busting: Uber has filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle in the hopes of derailing a City law that allows unionization of its drivers.
Focusing on HALA: Did Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Focus Groups work as intended?
Sadness in Melb: Tragedy strikes in Melbourne with a driver careening into a busy city center pedestrian street.
Foreign transactions: With Vancouver, B.C. housing prices having skyrocketed in recent years, have foreign buyers chosen to get digs in the Puget Sound?
#ResistFascism: Seattle is going full resistance mode against Donald Trump today with the Womxn’s March from Judkins Park; at least 50,000 are expected to show up and it could have impacts to transit. Seattle Bike Blog says that biking there could be a wise decision. Meanwhile, local resistance against the new President and his administration has begun in cities across the nation.
Lid I-5: A Capitol Hill developer is jumping on the Lid I-5 bandwagon making a significant donation to explore the idea further.
A valued landscape: Would expansion of the Seattle Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park make the park a threatened landscape?
Unreliable: Capitol Hill Station has been plagued by failing escalators; Sound Transit is trying to figure out a long-term fix. Meanwhile, the agency’s contractors have broken ground on Northgate Station.
Death spiral: If Obamacare dies, American cities will likely feel its effects deeply. Federal transit funding appears headed to the chopping block if the administration has their way. And school segregation will likely increase if the administration expands charter schools.
Approval hurdles: A proposed development in Downtown Gig Harbor faces some hurdles in finding approval particular because of possible environmental issues; the developer hopes to get a special development agreement approved.
A bright spot: Portland’s bikeshare system is scoring some early successes.
Map of the Week: Where Europe’s gross domestic product is rising and falling.
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.