Zoning for housing: Bend rezoned single-family areas and has seen a sharp increase in housing production.
Choice remains: In Alaska, the state supreme court has upheld a voter-approved ranked choice voting system.
2022 starts: Yonah Freemark has updated his planned construction and openings of transit lines in North America for 2022.
Housing funding: King County’s homelessness authority kicks off the year with $170 million.
Surrey beats Vancouver: Last year, Surrey had more housing starts than Vancouver.
Differing priorities: Transportation advocates and Oregon’s transportation have very different visions for use of federal transportation funds.
Rezoning Vancouver: Vancouver’s mayor has laid out a plan to rezone much of the city for more housing opportunities.
A swap: What if parking mandates are ended and you get a free bus pass?
Victoria growth: In a Victoria suburb, a $1.2 billion (CAD), urban, mixed-use waterfront neighborhood is planned.
Cincy housing reforms: Cincinnati has announced new equitable housing reforms.
Join a union: Why are Starbucks workers in Seattle trying to unionize?
Very different uses: A former drive-thru cleaners becomes a walk-up Covid testing clinic in Capitol Hill.
Clean WA: Washington’s recycling system could get very European, but the lobbyists are up in arms about it.
Car tech: Streetsblog talks about how automakers can stop humans from over-relying on automated safety technology.
Trolleybuses staying: Vancouver’s TransLink plans to replace its trolleybuses with new ones in 2027.
Farewell: After nine years in business, Peddler Brewing is closing its doors in March.
Better buses: A coalition in the Washington, D.C. area has ideas on how to build a better bus network.
Housing bond: Austin’s mayor wants to pass a $500 million bond to fund affordable housing projects.
Phoenix: With a continued rise in traffic death, Phoenix puts Vision Zero on the menu.
Vecindades: CityLab looks at how vecindades became homes for the working class in Ciudad de México.
Incentivizing return: Office landlords are trying to lure tenants back with incentives.
Ireland by walk/bike: Ireland plans to spend €289 million on cycleways and walking infrastructure for development by 2025.
Safer cars?: Governing looks at how American cars might be able to be made safer for people walking and rolling.
A national crisis: Pew shows that a growing share of Americans are saying affordable housing availability is becoming a problem in their communities.
Transit operators wanted: Transit operator shortages are hitting California hard. In Maryland, the shortage has also meant service cuts.
E-bike incentives: Bike Portland talks how Portland researchers are tracking the where and how of e-bike purchase incentives.
New life?: How can strip malls be repurposed to better serve communities?
Purple Line: The Burnaby City Council wants the Purple SkyTrain line prioritized so that it has connections to North Vancouver and other North Shore cities. The city has also thrown its support behind an aerial gondola line that would connect SkyTrain to SFU on top of a high mountain.
Next MTA: New York City’s transit agency has bold transit expansion visions for this decade.
Vancity TOD: Vancouver’s city council approved 573 rental homes for two highrise towers near SkyTrain.
Eliminate parking minimums: Why should progressives outlaw minimum parking mandates?
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.