Two upcoming event will put the focus on how our city and county plan on responding to our region’s housing crisis. Both should provide attendees opportunities to learn from local and national experts and to provide input on how we should address the shortage of affordable housing and ongoing rent increases that are pushing many of our neighbors into homelessness.
UW Department of Architecture Neighborhoods for All Event March 17th
The University of Washington (UW) Department of Architecture in collaboration with the Seattle Planning Commission will be having a studio review, panel discussion, and open house from 4 to 8:30pm in Gould Hall on the UW Seattle campus on the topic of “Neighborhoods for All.” It will include presentations of student work on opportunities to add housing to single family zones and a panel discussion featuring Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle), former Seattle councilmember Rob Johnson, staff from Sightline Institute, and planners from Portland and Minneapolis.
- 4:00-5:30pm – Presentation of “missing-middle” housing typologies in single-family zones designed by architecture students in the graduate research studio building upon the Seattle Planning Commission’s “Neighborhoods for All” report.
- 5:45-7:15pm – Panel discussion with noted electeds, planners and housing advocates from Portland, Minneapolis and Seattle who are focused on the issue of housing opportunity in single-family zones (see invite attached for details) including:
- Dan Bertolet, Sightline Institute, Seattle
- Madeline Kovacs, Sightline Institute/YIMBYtown, Portland
- Rob Johnson, former Seattle City Councilmember
- Katherine Schultz, Portland Planning and Sustainability
Commission - Nicole Macri, WA State House of Representatives (invited)
- Paul Mogush, Community Planning and Economic
Development, City of Minneapolis (invited)
- 7:15-8:30pm – Reception and exhibit
Event planners note refreshments will be served.
Update: Canceled Countywide Planning Policies Housing Chapter Learn at Lunch March 3rd from 12 – 1:30pm at 12th Avenue Arts
Housing Development Consortium (HDC) had planned a March 3rd lunch and learn (with partners Futurewise, Capitol Hill Renter Initiative, Share the Cities, and The Urbanist) to discuss how you can help guide housing growth and affordability across the region through the Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs) update. However, the legislative session in Olympia ended up creating a conflict for our discussion leaders, who no longer can attend.
The CPP’s Housing Chapter provides the vision and framework for all jurisdictions to plan for and promote a range of affordable, accessible, and healthy housing choices for current and future residents. There has been discussion of how this policy update could be used to provide more teeth to countywide affordable housing goals and compel our regions cities to do more to provide housing options beyond high priced single family houses. The Facebook page has more details. No word yet on rescheduling, but we’ll keep you posted.
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.