Deep in the Wilderness, the World’s Largest Beaver Dam Endures
The largest beaver dam on Earth was discovered via satellite imagery in 2007, and since then only one person has trekked into the Canadian w
The world’s largest beaver dam is not like human dams. It...
The Manobo indigenous people live and thrive on a vast wetland in the Philippines – despite dealing with dozens of storms and floods per year. What can we learn from them?
Op-Ed: State Model Code Could Give Middle Housing a Shot - The Urbanist
In HB 1110, the Washington State Legislature read the will of the people and demanded that we tackle the housing crisis more proactively by allowing middle housing in most cities and towns. The Washington State Department of Commerce has created a basic zoning template that supersedes local code if town planners balk at updating their
Northup Connector Opens, Offering Direct Connection Between Eastrail and 520 Trail - The Urbanist
Eastside officials and multimodal transportation advocates broke the ribbon Friday on a small but incredibly valuable new connection between the Eastrail and the State Route 520 bike route, just east of I-405. The new elevated boardwalk, called the Northup Connector, bridges a gap of only a few hundred feet that serves as the logical place
Everyone has a natural habitat. For some people it’s a big house in the suburbs. For others it’s a cabin in the woods. Some people thrive in a high rise tower in the central business district. Mine is a Main Street town of the kind that peaked about a century ago. But there’s another more obscure en
Metro Flex’s Mixed Bag of Reviews May Impact Its Future - The Urbanist
In March, King County Metro launched Metro Flex, an on-demand neighborhood van transit service. With a handy app, users can book rides to destinations within the seven separate designated service areas in Issaquah/Sammamish, Juanita, Kent, Othello, Rainier Beach/Skyway, Renton Highlands, and Tukwila. As with any new transit service, Metro Flex extends the boundaries of accessibility
Seattle Is Building a Citywide Bike Network That Cannot Handle Its Own Popularity - The Urbanist
Seattle's climate plan calls for doubling bicycling, but SDOT is not building its bike facilities to handle the load. To bike to Climate Pledge Arena, home of two of Seattle's professional sports teams as well as dozens of concerts per year, from Downtown Seattle, people using the city's flagship protected bike lane on 2nd Avenue
Model Code Missing the Point on Middle Housing - The Urbanist
Washington State Legislature legalized “missing middle” housing across the state, allowing more homes on a lot in the form of rowhouses, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and sixplexes. Seattle will now need to legalize sixplex homes citywide in areas served with frequent transit and fourplexes elsewhere. This restores Seattle to a bygone era of density, affordability, and
Spokane’s Permanent Middle Housing Rules Should Set a Statewide Standard - The Urbanist
Last week, Spokane finalized its year-long effort to legalize more housing choices across the city. Their new code sets a statewide standard, and it should be emulated in cities large and small -- from Seattle and Bothell to Yakima and Vancouver. Recall that under the zoning package passed last year, Spokane gave itself a year
State Issues Draft Middle Housing Guidance and Model Codes - The Urbanist
The Washington State Department of Commerce has released draft guidance and model codes to implement the state's a new middle housing law. The new law will apply to most cities with a population of at least 25,000 residents (and some smaller cities), requiring them to broadly legalize middle housing throughout residential zones. Cities in King,
Feeding 8 billion people has changed our planet. Here's why we can't keep doing it the same way
Human history is shaped by our ability to feed ourselves. See how population growth is tied to farmland, and how food production's profound environmental effect shows us the need for change.