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.
Editor's Note: In case you missed our previous coverage of Seattle 2035, check out our last article on the update process.
The Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will be holding an event next week to talk about the "key directions" to the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan update. Essentially, key directions are themes like land use,...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlPgkPo_vGQ
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and their contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) went on a media blitz yesterday to explain their plans and progress to fix Bertha. If you're not familiar with the saga, the short version is this: WSDOT launched the project 6 months delayed, their contractor...
http://vimeo.com/67223384
A fascinating look at the change in Seattle's skyline and the future Fifth & Columbia project (due in 2016).
Politics might define urbanism: This week, Pew Research found that there is severe political divide amongst those who choose to live in big cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural areas. Density, which continues to be the preference as the country grows, is the real adversary for conservatives. Of course,...
In case you didn't know, Sound Transit's University Link extension is well ahead of schedule and already 84.6% complete. So far, all that remains is the completion of track installation, power systems, and station construction. The UW Station stands at 94% complete while Capitol Hill Station is still at...
If you're into maps and data as much as we are, you'll probably love this new series of maps made by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTfHP). NTfHP has an excellent series of maps relating to historic preservation called Older, Smaller, Better which range in themes like number of women-/minority-owned businesses, character...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpxxuZhbDrY
Gravity by Sound Transit on YouTube.
Sound Transit has launched a new advertisement campaign for 2014 with three 30-second videos. The lovely Voice of Reason makes her return aboard Link. Be sure to check out Fingers and Long Arms as well for a laugh.
New views: Union Street will soon be under construction for an enhanced access to the waterfront from First Avenue. We look forward to the new lookout and access (for a primer on changes to come, see our previous report on the waterfront).
Ding dong Broad Street is dead: One of...