University of Washington: A Resilient Future Starts Here. Online Master of Infrastructure Management and Planning. Apply Now.

Eastside

A photo of a city with light rail under construction, streets, and tall modern buildings in the distance

Bellevue Had a Very Busy and Productive 2022

At The Urbanist, we've been intentionally working to expand our coverage of issues around the Puget Sound because the principals of good urban design,...

Street Cafés Becoming a Permanent Amenity in More Puget Sound Cities

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember, but prior to the onset of the Covid pandemic, street cafés, sometimes called streateries, were few and far...
Picture take from Kirkland facing downtown midrises and City Hall

Google Planned New Sustainable High-Rise Campus in Kirkland

Update: On January 20th, 2023, the City of Kirkland announced that Google will not be proceeding with the sale of the Lee Johnson site...

Redmond’s Aggressive Code Update Imperils 2,500 Homes Planned Near Overlake Station

Redmond has a grand vision for the Overlake neighborhood, which is set to get light rail by 2025. Redmond land use policies have funneled...
A Stay Housed rally with a "Housing is the Cure" banner at Seattle City Hall with a crowd of about 50.

Housing Coalition Passes Tenant Protections Across King County

In 2022, the Stay Housed Stay Healthy Coalition successfully pushed passage of a suite of renter protections in five cities across King County and...

Mercer Island Abandons Long Legal Fight Against Sound Transit

Municipality will pay transit agency $2.1 million and drop claims surrounding East Link extension. Last week, without public discussion, the Mercer Island City Council approved...
Midrise commercial and residential in Lakeview including Ivar's and an office building

Kirkland Smaller Development Node Spotlight: A Jumble of Car-centric and Smart Density

Having covered developments in transforming Totem Lake as well as the Downtown and Rose Hill corridor, what remains to tally up in Kirkland are...

East Link Light Rail Delayed to Spring 2025 but Could Arrive Earlier with Starter...

It's been known for a few months that East Link light rail was not going to be completed by its original planned opening in...