We all know that our city, like many cities, is facing a housing crisis. The rent is too damn high; there is a shortage of affordable housing, and people are being pushed out of our city and into homelessness. And on top of that conservative media is doing its best to blame the victims of this crisis for our problems and seeks to criminalize poverty rather than work for solutions. Fortunately other people are working to solve our problems and The Urbanist and our sister organizations want to invite you to join us in several upcoming events focused on the housing crisis in Seattle and its solutions:
April 25th: Neighborhoods for All: Revisiting Seattle’s Single Family Zoning
Join members of the Seattle Planning Commission from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Center for Architecture and Design (1010 Western Ave) where they will present an in-depth history and analysis of single family zoning in Seattle along with a series of proposals for how to enable more Seattle citizens to access housing in these highly sought after areas, which make up 60% of our city.
The recommendations in the Commission’s Neighborhoods for All report “would allow for gradual, incremental reintroduction of historic building patterns while helping to preserve (single family neighborhoods) even as we welcome more residents of all income levels, ages and races.” We’ll touch on affordability, density, bulk, scale, existing context, connectivity, the racism underlying our 70-year-old single family zoning policies, the gap in middle income housing, and more.
Panelists:
– Grace Kim, Architect and Owner of Schemata Workshop. Seattle Planning Commission. Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce Board Member. UW Faculty
– Rick Mohler, Architect and Founder of Mohler + Ghillino Architects. Seattle Planning Commission. AIA Seattle Board of Directors and Chair of Public Policy Board. UW Faculty
Brought to you by AIA Seattle’s Urban Design Forum & The Urbanist. Pre-registration encouraged and can be done here.
May 13 – 17: Affordable Housing Week
Join the Housing Development Consortium and partner organizations (including The Urbanist) for a week full of events, energy, and empowerment as they work to ensure everyone has access to a safe, healthy, and affordable home! Affordable Housing Week features more than 30 events spread throughout the metro area. It includes a wide variety of tours, panels, forums, and other events centered on different aspects of affordable housing and put on by a diversity of organizations.
More information about Affordable Housing Week and a complete calendar of events can be found here.
May 14th: The Urbanist Monthly Meetup with The Seattle Renters’ Commission
This month as part of Seattle Affordable Housing Week we are featuring members of the Seattle Renters’ Commission as our guest speakers. Created by Seattle City Council in 2017, the purpose of the 15-member Seattle Renters’ Commission is to advise the Mayor and City Council on issues and policies of importance to renters citywide. They will be discussing the work they do, some of their ideas for helping renters in our city, and taking your questions.
This monthly social event is free, all ages, and open to everyone. Come by if you want to meet other people who care about our city, network, or hear from an inspirational speaker at a local establishment. You can find us in the lower room, and our guest speaker starts at 6:30pm.
We will be meeting at the Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea House in the Chinatown/International District. They have coffee, tea, beer, wine, and food available. They are also a cool independent cafe in a wonderful historic building in one of Seattle’s great urban neighborhoods. We hope you can join us!
Patrick grew up across the Puget Sound from Seattle and used to skip school to come hang out in the city. He is an designer at a small architecture firm with a strong focus on urban infill housing. He is passionate about design, housing affordability, biking, and what makes cities so magical. He works to advocate for abundant and diverse housing options and for a city that is a joy for people on bikes and foot. He and his family live in the Othello neighborhood.