American freeways are almost universally car-choked, often with a dozen or more car lanes with vehicles belching out and kicking up deadly pollution. Those impacts fall heavily on people who live, work, and play nearby. Ray Delahanty of CityNerd digs into the research and data, and shows how America has a propensity to concentrate denser development, particularly apartments, next to freeways. Puget Sound is no different with many transit-oriented development districts ending up right next to the most polluted corridors since transit investments often piggybacked on freeways.
Whether in Kirkland, Mercer Island, Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Lynnwood, or Shoreline, Puget Sound cities tend to site apartment districts amidst major highways. Even worse, they tend to use the subsequent increase in population to further widen their local highways, exacerbating pollution and traffic safety issues.
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.
