Rejecting inaction: In Phoenix, complete streets volunteers resigned en mass in response to inaction by city officials.
Paris Accord in 2018: The United States is pulling out of the Paris Accord at the behest of the White House, but who is still staying in?
Dismayed: Community advocates are dismayed over Seattle’s interim police chief, Cameron Best, being taken out of the running as a finalist and want a restart.
MLT TOD: A large transit-oriented development has broken ground near the Mountlake Terrace transit center ($).
Second city: Recent census data shows that Tacoma is growing faster than Spokane, but has a bit of catching up to do to reach second city status in the state.
Window service: It’s now policy in Portland that drive-through businesses must serve people on bikes, or on foot for that matter.
Out of whack: In the housing price-to-income ratio standings, Los Angeles tops the list for the most out of whack region.
Climate change adaptation: California communities are having difficult discussions about how to respond to climate change and adopted related policies.
Greater affordability: Transit-rich neighborhoods are more affordable places to live.
Supporting entrepenuership: Why cities should support street vendors, not deter them.
Going small and urban: Target will open three urban-style stores in the Seattle area.
Unchoke school buses: Perhaps it’s time to upgrade those yellow school buses for children from diesel-choked polluters to less harmful bus for students and the environment.
Monorail upgrades: Service on the Seattle Monorail could get a boost on the horizon in addition to other changes for capacity ($).
Zoned out: Over half of all new Seattle residents are finding themselves in just 13% of the city’s land ($).
End the tyranny of FPTP: British Columbia will get a vote on proportional representation this year.
Added WS trips: Route 56 in West Seattle could get some extra trips this fall.
Late arrival: Commercial passenger flights out of Paine Field may be delayed after a last-minute by the Federal Aviation Administration assessement was required ($).
Wisdom of vacancy taxes: Are vacancy taxes working to fight blight and spur occupancy or redevelopment?
Chi-Town historic crisis: With demolitions rapidly happening, is Chicago experiencing a historic preservation crisis?
A hurricane disaster: On Trump’s watch, more than 4,600 people died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the hurricane last year.
Neo-redlining: Banks are finding ways to deny mortgages of blacks and Latinos at highly disproportionate rates to caucasians.
Stone age policy: The White House is poised to back a proposal by the United States Department of Energy to prop up aging and obsolete coal polluting power plants.
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.