Image description: a sketch of a Link light rail train at an elevated station with text reading: Move Redmond 12:00 to 4PM May 10th Redmond 2 Line Opening Celebration - trails 2 transit presented by Sound Transit at Downtown Redmond Station..

Environment & Sustainability

A white SUV next to a charging port.

City Light Adds to Waterfront ‘Bait-and-Switch’ with Belltown Surface Parking Lot Proposal

Last month The Urbanist detailed how Seattle City Light is moving forward with plans to install new surface parking lots with electric vehicle (EV)...
A photo of a city with light rail under construction, streets, and tall modern buildings in the distance

Bellevue Council Update: An Important Restart for Wilburton Transit Oriented Development Planning

With a unanimous vote on Monday evening, Bellevue City Council directed staff to initiate the planning process for a massive rezone of the Wilburton...

Superyachts Push Ballard Bridges Soaring to New Heights

A Coast Guard vertical clearance determination dealt a blow to elevated light rail options for Ballard Link, giving tunnel alternatives a boost -- not...

Leaders Push I-5 Expansion in Nisqually Valley, But Climate Consequences Appear Dire

On Monday, Governor Jay Inslee boarded a small boat with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Marilyn Strickland to tour the mouth of the...

Industrial [Parks]: Seattle’s Green Edges

For most folks, their mental image of a city park is somewhat focused, and kinda Victorian. It’s an Olmsted designed rolling green of trees...

The Urbanist Podcast: Trees, Density, and Cities

In this podcast, Ray and I tackle a subject that is much more controversial than it initially appears: trees in cities. The City of...
A photo of a dirt street crowded with people and vehicles with a green mountain in the distance and electrical wire

Latest IPCC Climate Report Underscores Need for Collaborative Action Among Urbanists

The latest reports from the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment are out and their findings on cities are simply...
Alaska Airlines plane takes off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with Mt. Rainier in the background.

We Need to Try Everything But Build a New Airport

If you sit on the Seattle waterfront on a sunny spring day you can hear a rumble in the distance. No, it’s not the...