Join The Urbanist and Complete Communities Coalition for a housing rally on April 6, pushing for a bolder Seattle Comprehensive Plan that promotes affordability and abundance.
Join The Urbanist for our March socials, including riding the 2 Line across the lake with us on March 28th!
The Urbanist is hosting social meetups on February 19 (in Seattle) and February 26 (in Redmond). We’re also hosting a talk on the Seattle Waterlines Project on March 3 in Capitol Hill.
Join us for our January socials in Seattle and in Redmond, plus a special North Sound event recapping the 2025 election and looking to the political battles ahead.
Get your ticket to The Urbanist’s annual holiday party while supplies last. Our speaking program on December 9 will feature Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and other urbanist leaders and newly elected officials.
Join for The Urbanist for our upcoming social meetups, Comprehensive Plan organizing, and our big holiday party extravaganza.
The Urbanist’s Annual Holiday Party is the biggest gathering of local urbanists and elected officials of the year. Mingle, celebrate our recent wins, and hear about the future of urbanism in the Puget Sound. Get your tickets today!
The Urbanist and Tech4Housing are hosting a rally and mega-canvass Sunday in Columbia City for Seattle City Council candidates Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Dionne Foster, and Eddie Lin, City Attorney candidate Erika Evans, and mayoral candidate Katie Wilson. Join us to help put the urbanist slate over the
At the forum that The Urbanist is co-hosting on October 11, Bellevue City Council candidates will answer questions about transportation issues and how Bellevue can be a more equitable city.
The Urbanist is focusing much of our upcoming events programming on getting our endorsed candidates elected. In the coming month, we are hosting panels, canvasses, volunteer trainings, and some social events. Join us!
This fall, The Urbanist is running our seasonal subscriber drive, with the return of The Urbanist beanie and a bike scavenger hunt next weekend.
This September, The Urbanist is blending community-building with political advocacy as we head into the thick of Seattle Comprehensive Plan and election season. Beyond our social meetups, join us at a Comp Plan-themed Madison Valley walking tour September 10 or a bike scavenger hunt on September 28.
On September 10, The Urbanist is hosting a Madison Valley walking tour featuring Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development staff, who will discuss the “neighborhood center” rezone proposed for the area. It will be great preparation for the City’s September 12 public comment session on the
The Urbanist is hosting its Endorsed Candidate Party this Sunday, August 17. Join us for an afternoon of food, drink, good company, and toasting to local urbanist wins. Get your ticket today!
Join The Urbanist for a Campaign Volunteer Training Session to support our endorsed candidates. We have two dates in August: one in Seattle and one in Redmond.
Tickets are limited. Get yours now to meet our newly announced endorsed candidates at our summer garden party. Mingle with urbanists from across the region and prepare for the election fight ahead.
At The Urbanist’s “Urbanism on the Eastside” panel earlier this month, panelists discussed a sea change happening in the suburbs that are beginning to urbanize and break free of car dependence. Check out this recap of the discussion.
Get your ticket to meet our endorsed candidates, mingle with urbanists from across the region, and prepare for the general election in November.
RSVP to The Urbanism on the Eastside Panel and join representatives from across the Eastside as they answer questions about housing, land use, and transportation.
Headlining our June events, we urge folks to attend the Seattle Comprehensive Plan public comment session on June 23. The Urbanist is also hosting an “Urbanism on the Eastside” panel on Sunday, July 6.
The Urbanist will be co-hosting a Seattle candidate forum on June 4th in Beacon Hill along with allied housing and transportation organizations. It will be a fantastic chance to hear from candidates for Seattle Mayor and City Council. RSVP today!
We are hosting a flurry of events over the next month, including our May 31st bagel-themed bike ride, a June 4th Seattle candidate forum, and a Bellevue garden party on June 8th. Space is limited, so get tickets now.
Want a deep dive on the latest in Seattle housing policy? The Urbanist has you covered. Check out this recording and transcript of our April housing panel with experts.
May is full of social events and housing advocacy opportunities. Join The Urbanist for opportunities to make your voice heard and to celebrate the Downtown Redmond Link Extension on May 10.
We’ve expanded capacity to our “Future of Seattle Housing” panel at El Centro de la Raza. RSVP soon to save your ticket before we run out. And check out our other April events.
RSVP to save yourself a spot at the Future of Seattle Housing Panel hosted by The Urbanist and Seattle YIMBY from 6pm to 8pm on April 23.
The Urbanist is hosting four social events in April. We’re also kicking off our urbanism-themed walking tours starting in Kirkland. Plus, on May 10 we’ll be hosting a booth at the opening celebration at Downtown Redmond Station.
The Complete Communities Coalition will join us to share how we can ensure city council hears our voices on the One Seattle Plan. The social is from 6pm to 8pm on March 20 at TeKu Tavern.
Join The Urbanist for one of our many socials for some comp plan advocacy, or join one of the many local urbanist groups doing their own things.
Join The Urbanist for our February social events in Seattle, Redmond, and Shoreline. Next up is our Big Time Brewery meetup on February 20.
Community members gather every Wednesday morning from 7am to 9:30am in Kirkland for Eastside Coffee Outside. Here’s how they came together.
The Urbanist unveils top advocacy priorities for 2025 and offers some ways to get involved.
Join The Urbanist and House Our Neighbors at TeKu Tavern Monday February 3rd at 6pm to socialize and hear about Prop 1A.
To allow staff to participate in a memorial for slain bus driver Shawn Yim, King County Metro has announced plans for reduced service Friday. Amalgamated Transit Union 587 is honoring Yim with a 10am funeral procession through Downtown Seattle and a memorial service at Lumen Field Event Center.
The Urbanist’s first happy hour of 2025 will be Tuesday, January 7th at TeKu Tavern from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. We hope you can join us.
The Urbanist’s final happy hour of the year will be held December 17th at TeKu Tavern + Cafe in Seattle from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. No RSVP needed.
Join The Urbanist on December 5 at the historic Stimson-Green Mansion for an evening of celebration, reflection, and community. Space is limited. Get your tickets now!
The Urbanist next monthly meetup is Tuesday, November 19th at TeKu Tavern + Cafe in Seattle from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Join The Urbanist on December 5 at the historic Stimson-Green Mansion for an evening of celebration, reflection, and community. Space is limited. Get your tickets now!
We’re headed to Redmond for our October meetup while we hunt for a new Seattle venue for our monthly socials. Please join The Urbanist and Eastside Urbanism for a joint October meetup at the Jack Sprat / Pizza Poggio cafe inside Esterra Park in Redmond. The meetup will be held
The Urbanist is hosting an opening day celebration for the RapidRide G Line, which commences service early Saturday morning. Our event is from 5:00pm to 7:30pm at Stoup Capitol Hill.
Join The Urbanist for our monthly meetup tonight (August 22nd) from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Stoup Capitol Hill.
Join The Urbanist in Mountlake Terrace on August 30 to celebrate the opening of the Lynnwood Link light rail extension.
The Urbanist and Downtown On The Go are excited to co-host a two-part book talk event in Tacoma on Saturday, August 3, featuring Disability Mobility Initiative director Anna Zivarts and Seattle Bike Blog founder Tom Fucoloro. The safe streets summit will kick off with a family-friendly social at Wright Park
Join us at our monthly meetup 5:30pm July 25th at Stoup Capitol Hill. No RSVP needed.
Join us at our monthly meetup tomorrow, June 27th at 5:30pm at Stoup Capitol Hill. No RSVP needed — just bring your ideas and enthusiasm.
Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, June 5th from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Olmstead in Capitol Hill for a party to kick off Ride Transit Month.
The Urbanist’s monthly meetup is 5:30pm Thursday at Stoup Capitol Hill. This month’s event is part of Affordable Housing Week.
Check out an event in a packed calendar of Affordable Housing Week events running the gambit from a keynote kickoff Monday to building tours to The Urbanist’s social hour Thursday.
Join us Monday, May 13th for a 7:30pm forum with Anna Zivarts, Barb Chamberlain, Tanisha Sepúlveda at Town Hall Seattle. Panelists will discuss how we create better transportation systems that effectively factor in the needs of non-drivers.
If you’ve been waiting for this as long as we have, please join us to celebrate, ride East Link, and come hang out at our afterparty at Goose Pub for beverages and food with fellow urbanists on April 27.
Our in-person meetup is at Stoup Capitol Hill every third Thursday of the month from 5:30pm to 7ish. On April 18, we’ll again discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
The Urbanist’s new Local Events Calendar is the one-stop shop for finding events from a variety of organizations across the region. Readers can subscribe to the calendar so they never miss an opportunity to connect.
The “Year of Housing 2.0” at the state legislature yielded less progress than expected. Our March 26 virtual event will conduct an autopsy.
We meet at Stoup Capitol Hill starting at 5:30pm on the third Thursday of the month. We’ll discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan this month.
Join host Markus Johnson for a Ballard walking tour on Saturday, March 16. Attendees will discover surviving examples of mid-sized home options such as duplexes, triplexes and small apartment complexes, while learning what prompted their all but disappearance and discuss opportunities to bring them
The Urbanist’s meetups will be held on the third Thursday of every month at Stoup Capitol Hill (formerly Optimism Brewing), a spacious all-ages brewery, starting on February 15.
The Urbanist‘s in-person monthly meetup series is back and it’s headed to Yesler Terrace on Thursday, January 11, for an event focused on Seattle Housing Authority’s Yesler Terrace redevelopment. It’s been a while since we’ve taken a comprehensive look at Yesler Terrace, and the community
Join members of The Urbanist Elections Committee as we break down the 2023 general election at an event on Wednesday, November 29. The panel will take place at Rendezvous in Belltown from 6pm to 7:30pm. It’s a free event, but RSVP to reserve your spot. Note the venue
Do you wonder how the Kirkland-of-today came to be? In 2017, Richard Rothstein’s riveting book, The Color of Law, documented how the continuing segregation of American cities today is the direct result of explicit historic government policies at the local, state, and federal levels. In Kirkland, we hunger to
The leaves are turning, Halloween is approaching… that can only mean one thing in Seattle city government: Budget season is here — a time when Seattle City Council is almost entirely focused on how the body will collectively amend Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed 2024 budget before the end of November.
Futurewise is co-hosting an event to celebrate passage of the bill promoting Black homeownership that will feature a talk with the authors of ‘Just Action’ and ‘Color of Law.’ By now, regular readers of The Urbanist should be familiar with the history and legacy of segregationist housing policies. The most
The Urbanist is excited to host Ray Delahanty of CityNerd for a bike ride and meetup in South Seattle on Saturday, September 16. Join us for a refreshing bike ride on Lake Washington Boulevard and meetup at Machine House Brewery in Columbia City. Whether you’re a cycling enthusiast or
In just two months, voters will elect a new Seattle City Council, and the race is on for candidates to make their closing pitches. Urbanist-endorsed candidates had a very good showing in the August primary. Six of seven candidates endorsed by The Urbanist Elections Committee advanced, with five of them
Two forums co-hosted by The Urbanist on September 5 and 6 will include candidates in all seven districts. With the primary behind us, 14 candidates remain for the seven Seattle City Council seats that are up for election this year. A set of forums next week seeks to illuminate where
Join us for a tour of the Mercer Slough Nature Park led by Trust for Public Land’s Mitsu Iwasaki this Saturday, August 5 at 9am. Together with the Urbanist, Iwasaki will lead a tour that highlights the story of Mercer Slough and discusses the importance of greenspaces and the
Ron Davis is running for the Seattle City Council in District 4 on a progressive urbanist platform. Hear more about Davis’s positions on transportation, housing, and other issues at The Urbanist’s lunch and learn event this Thursday, July 6th, at noon. RSVP below for the Zoom link or
If journalism is the lifeblood of our democracy, then why does it feel like its chronically on life support? The journalism industry is in rough shape and continues to shed jobs and coverage areas, but nonetheless quality reporting remains the bedrock of our democracy. How to ensure the industry survives
District 5 Seattle City Council candidates will square off at 7pm tonight in the first of a series of mobility-focused forums that The Urbanist is co-hosting alongside a number of other local advocacy organizations. The D5 forum will take place at Haller Lake United Methodist Church and will also be
Participate in creating a better future for Seattle’s deadliest road. Here at The Urbanist, we have devoted quite a bit of coverage to Aurora Avenue over the years and for good reason. Aurora is probably Seattle’s most maligned thoroughfare. Its strip-mall-oriented design makes much of the corridor hostile
The Urbanist is excited to announce our first tours of the season. The inaugural tour is 10am Saturday, May 27th with Lid I-5, a group dedicated to advocating for freeway lids over I-5 in Seattle in order to reduce the negative impacts of the car-choked freeway and create space for
Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm is our guest for our monthly talk series on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30pm. Register for the Zoom link and suggest a question below. Timm took the reins in September after coming out on top in a national CEO search to replace Peter Rogoff.
Okay, we are quickly approaching the first 70-degree day in over six months, so it’s time to start thinking about trees and transit and industrial rezoning. Here’s your roundup of some wonderful meetups happening both online and on the Eastside, as well as a reminder that the city’
Wallingford 4 All invites you to build a vision of new neighbors at an April 26th meetup. The gardens of Wallingford are blooming! Purple, yellow and pink flowers paint the neighborhood. Birds are building nests in the trees and the playground is bustling. Soon the strawberries in my yard will
On Tuesday April 11th, Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis is our guest for The Urbanist monthly speaker series. Lewis won election in District 7 in 2019 and is up for reelection this year. We’ll discuss his work on Council and his legislative priorities. As chair of the select committee
SPU oversteps their authority per state law and overcharges developments for new water service connections. Here’s how to fight back. It is time to take action to prevent Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and and other agencies from mandating egregious and non-code-supported project-crushing exactions. Those seeking to acquire development permits
Now that the Vernal Equinox has passed, thoughts here at The Urbanist turn to thinner socks with our Birkenstocks and other rites of spring. We have four wonderful events scheduled for the next few weeks, one in-person and three virtual. Hope you will join us! March 28, 2023 6pm to
Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales is running for reelection this year, and she is our guest for our monthly virtual meetup on March 14. Running in District 2, Morales won election in 2019, and we’ll go through her accomplishments and case for a second term during our interview. Morales
The Urbanist Book Club is pleased to welcome Nathan Vass to our April 4th Book Club Meeting, which will start at 6pm via Zoom. He is the author of The Lines that Make Us, a series of essays and observations about experiences driving a King County bus through some of
On February 15, The Urbanist is hosting Greg Spotts, the new director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), for a virtual talk. Our transportation reporter Ryan Packer will interview Spotts, who took the helm at SDOT in September. Update: The video from the Spotts talk is below and on
Welcome to the first week of 2023! As we get to the point where we can’t say Happy New Year any more (or use it as an excuse to push an email to next week) let’s take a look at the upcoming events for advocacy, meetups, and volunteering
Social housing is going to the ballot in February, and if you want to learn more about the initiative, The Urbanist has you covered. At our monthly virtual meetup on January 10, we’re hosting Tiffani McCoy, co-chair of the House Our Neighbors campaign behind the measure, to break it
Our friends at Futurewise will be our guests at our monthly speaker series on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:30 to 7:30pm via Zoom. With the state legislature resuming session in January, we will do a legislative preview. Futurewise has led the way in advocating for Growth Management Act
Welcome to December 2022 Edition Now that the carnage of Budget Season has passed, we can move to more pressing concerns. Comprehensive plan meetings! Also, make sure you sign up for any and all of The Urbanist’s upcoming events, including our talk with Futurewise, a meetup with Tiffani McCoy,
On Monday, two big events are happening. At 6:30pm, The Urbanist is hosting activist architect Matt Hutchins at the November edition of our monthly speaker series. Register at the bottom for Zoom link or watch for the video recording to drop by Tuesday. Also happening Monday is the first
We’re excited to host Darya Farivar at our upcoming Urbanist Meetup on Tuesday October 11th. The Zoom session opens at 6:15pm. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, and is now is running for State Representative in the 46th Legislative District (Northeast Seattle) in an open
Thursday, September 29th, 3-7pm, at Capitol Hill Station Plaza There are many things that make Capitol Hill stand out not only among Seattle’s neighborhoods, but also among other major American cities’ marquee neighborhoods as well. Few places in the U.S. offer the same access to walkable streets, shops,
Author Josephine Ensign will be available to answer questions on her narrative history of homelessness and safety-net healthcare in Seattle. Next month on Tuesday, October, 18th, at 6pm, The Urbanist will hold its first book club meeting. There are so many excellent books being published that address the topics we
Join them by signing up for Disability Mobility Initiative’s Week Without Driving 2022 Next Monday, September 19th, Disability Mobility Initiative will begin its Week Without Driving Challenge, which invites people to refrain from driving themselves in any vehicle, for any activity, for a full week in order to increase
Liveable Kirkland would like to invite you to join us on Saturday, October 1, 2022 for a short walk through Park Lane (Downtown Kirkland) and the surrounding areas. Event details are available on Meetup and Facebook. We’ll gather at Kirkland’s Marina Park Pavilion at 5:15pm for a
The Urbanist is excited to announce two more events in our summer series. This Saturday (August 27) we’ll be meeting at Discovery Park at 11am and hiking the Loop Trail, starting the hike from the North parking lot around 11:35am. RSVP for the Discovery Park walking tour. On
The Urbanist and Tech 4 Housing are hosting a social gathering at the Pine Box, August 16th, 5:30-7pm to talk about how we can advance housing abundance and affordability Where better than a former mortuary to strategize about how bring the housing choices our region needs back to life?
Downtown Bothell is a growing city center with a unique history that defies many suburban stereotypes, while still running up against the challenges of cohabitating with a major highway, SR 522. This Friday, July 29th, The Urbanist will be hosting a social event on Bothell’s pedestrianized Main Street with
Opening streets to people is a wonderful to enliven any city. Next Friday, July 29th, The Urbanist and BoPOP (Bothellites for People Orientated Places) are meeting up to enjoy the pedestrianized stretch of Bothell’s Main Street, which will be expanded as part of its Summer Nights in Bothell event
Share your big ideas on how to improve where you live or highlight a story important to your community by writing for The Urbanist Readers and supporters of The Urbanist hold a wealth of great ideas about how to improve the cities where we live. As managing editor, I’m
Two tours will provide different insights into a Bellevue neighborhood poised for significant growth. It’s no secret that Bellevue is growing & changing. New developments are bringing new residents, workers, and visitors to the city in a way that will define the Eastside for many decades to come. Link
In June, The Urbanist‘s transportation reporter and senior editor, Ryan Packer, had a wide-ranging discussion with Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa. High-speed rail, climate action, and cruise ships were among the topics.
Urbanist reporter Kevin Le wrote the authoritative guide to Tacoma’s Hilltop light rail expansion, a 2.4 mile extension to Line T that opens up a whole swathe of central Tacoma to frequent transit service starting in early 2023. Now on July 9 at 10:30am, he is leading
On Tuesday June 14th, we are looking forward to a stimulating conversation with Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, who has served on the Seattle Port Commission since 2021. Our June meetup starts at 6:25pm with announcements, and then Toshiko will give a brief presentation at 6:30pm before taking questions from
Celebrate bike month with Kelli Refer, author of “Pedal, Stretch, Breathe: The Yoga of Bicycling,” on Saturday, June 18th, 11am-12:30pm. The event will include a bike ride on the beautiful Elliot Bay Trail, the chance to stretch — no yoga experience required, and to eat some delicious baked goods from