Catastrophic truth: Global youth climate action leader, Greta Thunberg, spoke to the United Nations on the issue this week.
Farewell Macy’s: While the writing was on the wall, Macy’s has finally decided to close its historic Downtown Seattle location ($).
Vancity climate strike:100,000 demonstrators partook in Vancouver’s climate strike on Friday.
Easy “no”: Joining the chorus against the latest Tim Eyman anti-transportation initiative is the Seattle Times Editorial Board, strongly opposing it ($).
Ranking car-free America: Where are the best and worst places in America to live car-free?
New stadium digs: The Mariners are getting $30 million in luxury improvements ($) made to T-Mobile Stadium.
Uncertain outlook: The Intiman Theater could be closing up shop soon.
Germany’s for forests: Germany is making a €800 million commitment to replant and renew its waning forests.
Five fewer markets: Car2Go is pulling out of Portland next month and four other North American cities this year.
Put LRT on it: Washington and Oregon officials want to start building a new Columbia River crossing by 2025.
NYC’s new library: Take a gander inside New York City’s new $40 million library.
Put money on bikes: Paris wants to build an e-bike boom.
SeaBus delays: Vancouver’s new SeaBus vessel will not enter service until next year.
Lessons learned: CityLab explained this week why a London street the became car-free failed and lessons to avoid a repeat.
Women in architecture: An historic preservation grant program will help preserve buildings that tell the stories of women.
Wrong direction: Super-commuting is up, but there’s nothing super about that.
Teaming up for housing: Microsoft is teaming up with King County and the King County Housing Authority to provide $245 million for affordable rents for 3,000 residents ($).
Vancity infill: Three landmark towers are planned around Vancouver’s Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station.
Too blunt: A new federal bill would tie transit funding to housing production.
Stormy outlook: A new United Nations report suggests that storm-of-the-century storms could happen virtually every year after 2050 in coastal cities.
Rising income, rising prices: Seattle’s median household income is now $93,500 per year ($). Housing prices may be on the rise again in Seattle ($), too.
Hybrid ferries: BC Ferries will launch its first hybrid electric ferries next year.
Nothing under the cushions: The Seattle Public Schools operating budget is pretty tight and appears short of needed revenue to meet expenditures ($).
Food cart regs: Local government in Portland could begin to more tightly regulate food cart pods.
Addressing displacement: A Los Angeles councilmember is pushing for “anti-displacement” zones.
More overtime pay: Federal rules will expand overtime pay eligibility ($) to hundreds of thousands of American workers.
What you’d expect: Housing organizations tore apart the White House’s report on homelessness.
Old and new: A townhouse development in Vancouver is helping to subsidize preservation of a historic landmark.
Thanks, Delta: The Amtrak dining car looks headed for the history books ($).
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.