Rubbish: Vienna is pretty innovative when it comes to deal with its trash.
Thwarting the will: A Libertarian law firm wants to dismantle Seattle’s voluntary democracy voucher program that is designed to make it easier for non-establishment candidates to run for local office.
Healthy DOD: The Department of Defense wants to foster and create healthier and well-design military communities.
It’s a go: The Seattle City Council accepted a $50 million grant this week for construction of the Center City Connector ($), which will splice together the First Hill Streetcar and South Lake Union Streetcar lines, and got an update on overall system performance.
Preservation powers: A court case will determine whether the University of Washington is subject to local preservation laws or not.
Saving grace: Richard Florida explores whether or not land use regulations may have saved the Rust Belt from even worse outcomes than it’s had.
PDX highways: Can Portland fend off two highway widening projects?
Dose of reality: The New Tribune‘s Melissa Santos takes a look at the research on driverless cars (spoiler: despite the hype, it’s not remotely rosy.)
WALeg sausage: After extensive legislative gridlock, Washington state official shoehorned through an operating budget avoiding a government shutdown ($) in the literal twenty-third hour, a highly questionable and likely insufficient public education bill ($), and a new statewide paid family leave program will become law ($).
DC gondola: It started out as a joke, but the Washington, D.C. city council is seriously considering a gondola to connect Rosslyn, Virginia with Georgetown on the Washington side of the Potomac River.
NYC Subway woes: The New York City Subway is struggling to meet demands put upon it by growing ridership and aging facilities. This week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the transit system and plans to provide $1 billion to fund badly needed maintenance ($).
Champions: Knute looks at how Seattle activists have shaped transportation throughout the Puget Sound region.
Go green: In spite of Trump’s anti-climate “Energy Week” boosterism, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has resolved to support 100% renewable energy.
Leading the pack: FYI Guy Gene Balk broke the news this week that Seattle’s population growth last years was more than the entire growth in King County’s suburbs ($)–by a lot.
Family-friendly cities: How can cities attract and hold on to families? Urbanist and former City of Vancouver Chief Planner Brent Toderian has some ideas.
VMT: Oregon is ready to flip the switch on per-mile road charges over gas taxes, but will it happen?
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.