Plans and Policy

Light rail tunneled station in Downtown Seattle. (Photo by Gary Matoso / Futurewise)

Wonkabout Washington: Equitable Public Engagement in a Pandemic

As we enter month three of life in a pandemic in Washington, planners, and community organizations are grappling with how to adapt our engagement...

Will Washington Become One of the First States to Require Climate Action through Urban...

Seattle may be famous for its cool rainy weather, but it is a little known fact that the city also holds the dubious distinction...

Is Washington Addicted to Authorities?

This article is adapted from testimony for HB 2882 prepared by the author and presented to the Washington House of Representatives Committee on Housing,...
Snohomish County suburban sprawl. A view of 192 Place SE located within the unincorporated Bothell urban growth area. This is one of many private streets in this development, a mechanism that allows for the construction and upkeep of the road to be placed on homeowners associations instead of a municipality. (Photo by Ray Dubicki)

A Clearview of the Urban Growth Boundary

Snohomish County is weighing a 15-square mile expansion of its urban growth boundary in an area called the Clearview Cluster. Even now, suburban sprawl...
The City of Olympia created this Missing Middle graphic which hints rowhouses are in their vision.

Embracing the Middle: Olympia’s Struggle for Housing Diversity Wages On

Early this year, Minneapolis made headlines when it decided to eliminate restrictive single-family zoning laws citywide. Others followed. Oregon passed a measure that requires...
Aerial photo of Downtown Kirkland waterfront as of 2011. (Photo by Jelson25 / Wikimedia Commons)

King County Designates Downtown Kirkland a Regional Growth Center

Kirkland is all but assured that its city center will be designated as a Regional Growth Center. In November, the King County Council took...
Backyard cottages like this one should be coming to Burien thanks to the City's new reform. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Burien Encourages Accessory Dwelling Units in New Reform

On Monday, the Burien City Council approved a slate of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reforms. The reforms should make it easier to build ADUs...

Federal Way Is Planning a Transit-Oriented District

Federal Way is working through the initial stages of a subarea planning process in the southern portion of the city. The "City South"...