Stephen Fesler
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.
Last year was a very uncertain time for transit in Seattle. At the beginning of it, we were bracing for service reductions by as much as 17% over a two-year period. Some measure of hope was given by a countywide ballot in April to prevent service reductions. But that vote was narrowly defeated...
If you're a wonk about all things planning, then the City of Seattle may have just the opportunity for you. The Seattle Planning Commission is seeking to fill four open commissioner positions on the advisory body beginning in April 2015. The Planning Commission consists of 16 members that reviews...
Tunnel talk: Governor Jay Inslee sits down with Grist to talk Bertha, still supports the project. Streetsblog asks if it's too late to stop Bertha for good. And, if you're curious how much has been spent for the project, get it to the penny here!
Transit apps: King County launches a...
SDOT is in the process of a planned repaving project for Roosevelt Way between NE 65th Street (Roosevelt) and Fuhrman Ave E (Eastlake). When we last provided an update on this project, SDOT was focusing much of its effort on repaving, pedestrian and transit enhancements, and modest improvements to bicycle...
If you've ever visited the core of Ballard by car, you've probably witnessed the neighborhood's parking challenges firsthand. Ballard is a highly sought-after neighborhood because of its excellent offerings in nightlife entertainment, restaurants, and boutique shopping. For locals, it's also a place of daily business, community services, worship, and...
Another skyscraper could soon join the Seattle skyline, this time in Belltown. 3rd and Lenora Tower--as it is known--is the brainchild (permit number 3018686) of long-time Seattle developer Martin Selig and designed by Perkins+Will. The tower would soar to the heights of 440 feet, or about 31 stories. The building would provide a...
Skyscraper city: An updated version of Seattle skyscraper projects in infographic form.
Extended death row: The Harvard Exit will last just a few more days; say goodbye on January 11th.
Slow it down: Sightline makes the case that 20mph is plenty for residential streets.
Health of streets: New research shows that street network design can...
Way back in 2012, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) installed bike counters at a number of locations, including the very popular Fremont Bridge. Since then, the Fremont Bridge bike counter has been storing each of those bike trips across. The bridge didn't quite break one million trips in...