Yearly Archives: 2025

In a campaign event last week, Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson harkened back to her younger street-musician days when she used to busk at Pike Place Market. Wilson told a gathering of Market workers and community members that she understood their struggles; she has lived them, and Seattle's mayoral frontrunner told them she is fighting for the little guy.

While Bruce Harrell is touting a drop in the number of pedestrian deaths in Seattle last year, that number has shot up again in 2025. And despite his promotion of safety spending in a newly approved transportation levy, his legacy on the issue of traffic safety likely won't be known for years.

Earlier this month, the King County Department of Public Defense issued a report showing that the City of Seattle has fallen short on offering diversion and treatment to people criminalized by its new 2023 drug ordinance. During the reviewed period, only six prosecutions out of 215, resulted in someone either completing treatment or receiving a court order to that effect, less than 3%.

Take the 14th installment of The Urbanist's crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.

Dave Amos explains how New York City has increasingly moved toward pedestrianizing Broadway and how the effort is transpiring.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office appears to have deleted or is withholding a contract used to make a crucial legal decision regarding the Mayor’s newly-minted Chief of Staff, Andrew Myerberg. Harrell’s office appears to be violating the terms of the settlement agreement reached with the Seattle Times in 2023 over the widespread deletion of text messages in the Durkan administration.

King County Metro has slashed the budgets for the K and R Lines by 20% to 25%, which could scale back planned reliability improvements and rider amenities. The move raises serious questions about the future of the overall RapidRide program.

The Washington Department of Commerce's appeal is the first to come directly from state government to enforce 2021's House Bill 1220, which requires cities to target future housing growth by income level. If successful, it will likely prompt a major change in how the city of nearly 9,000 plans for future residents.