What can you find about the activities of Cities of Things foundation and the Wi...
Cities & Planning
The Antiplanner’s LibraryTransit’s Growth, Decline, and Pending Demise – The Antiplanner
Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be
As relentless rains pounded LA, the city’s “sponge” infrastructure helped gather 8.6 billion gallons of water—enough to sustain over 100,000 households for a year.
Planners Plan
It’s What They Do, Even When They Shouldn’t
Prime Stadium District Site Won’t Be Developed Until After World Cup - The Urbanist
The WOSCA site is a publicly owned five-acre scrap next to the south portal of the SR-99 tunnel, left over from that project. It will remain an undeveloped scrap for the time being with a temporary use during the 2026 World Cup and a permanent redevelopment envisioned thereafter. Mayor Harrell is seeking bids from private developers.
Washington Senate Committee Guts Popular Neighborhood Cafe Bill - The Urbanist
A popular neighborhood cafe bill that sailed through the Washington House has run into problems in the Senate, mostly dealing with the question of local control. The Association of Washington Cities and the City of Bellevue have lobbied against the bill.
The Fledgling Movement to Rewild Golf Courses
Mark Twain once said: “golf is a good walk spoiled.”1 Some American communities are realizing that a golf course is
After Shutting Down, These Golf Courses Went Wild
Most defunct golf courses get paved over, but a number are getting transformed into ecological life rafts for wildlife, plants — and people.
San Diego’s South Bay Annexation of 1957: Water Insecurity, Territorial Expansion, and the Making of a US-Mexico Border City
Editor’s note: In anticipation of the Society for American City and Regional Planning History’s (SACRPH) 2024 conference to be held in San Diego on the campus of the University of Calif…
State House Proposes Postponing Seattle’s 520 Lid and Trail Extension Indefinitely - The Urbanist
State House leaders want to delay a freeway lid and multi-use trail in order to bring the overall SR 520 bridge replacement project under budget. Building those elements later would ultimately cost more and risk them being abandoned altogether.
Rooftop solar has technical potential to meet 45% of U.S. electricity demand
Today, it only represents about 1.5% of the electricity used. A report from Environment America shows how installed rooftop solar increased 1000% in the past decade, and how it has a long runway of growth ahead.
Switching to electric vehicles would be fantastic for kids’ health
Fewer cases of childhood asthma is one possible outcome.
Amtrak’s Long-Distance Expansion Plan Includes Two New Pacific Northwest Routes - The Urbanist
Yakima, Boise, Missoula, and Pocatello could see Amtrak service again under a new federal plan that adds a daily route from Seattle to Denver and another running to Chicago on a modified alignment from Amtrak's Empire Builder.
History: The Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway, 1910-1939 - My Edmonds News
After publishing the articles Edmonds: Entering the automobile age and the Edmonds 1911 Monorail, I was asked by several people to write about the Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway regarding when it was...
Common Wealth
Ownership matters. From the climate crisis to concentrated corporate power, ownership shapes how our economy operates and in whose interest. Only by reimagining it can we build an economy that's democratic and sustainable by design.
The Case for Ambitious Public Ownership of Renewable Generation: Ten Common Questions and Common Wealth’s Answers | Explainer | Common Wealth
How public ownership of new renewable capacity can accelerate the energy transition.
Transit for the Human Race
A Review of the Long-Awaited Revised Edition of Public Transit's Bible
When I'm working on a non-fiction book, there sometimes comes a moment when I realize that there's somebody out there who has already reached many of the conclusions that I've been fumbling, in my non-expert way, to grasp. In
The White Castle System of Eating Houses - 99% Invisible
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And since they’re steamed on a bed of onions, everything is infused with this
Bellevue Hits the Brakes on Bike Bellevue Corridor Upgrades - The Urbanist
Plans to create room for people biking on 11 corridors across BelRed, Wilburton, and Downtown Bellevue have been paused. Staff said it's a routine step to address an ethics complaint, but opponents are hoping to make the pause permanent.
Sunday Video: Could Toronto’s Kensington Market Be A Solution to Gentrification? - The Urbanist
Uytae Lee of About Here highlights Kensington Market, a very diverse district in Toronto steeped in history. It’s increasingly become a popular area of the city for redevelopment interest. Lee highlights how the community is trying to move forward while having a stronger stake in decisions around how the neighborhood changes through a community land
A Piece of Civic Infrastructure That Works
The new “Happy to Chat” seats in the Trade Center Plaza had an impact on me. While there are plenty of people who will ignore the nudges prompted by the seating, the seats are fun, whimsical, and fairly inexpensive pieces of civic infrastructure.
Calls Mount to End the Era of Unquestioned Highway Expansion - The Urbanist
Washington continues to build new highways even as maintenance, safety, and community needs continue to grow. America Walks is pushing for a nationwide reconsideration of continued highway expansion.
The world is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels – except for in three key sectors
Dramatic changes in energy industry and EVs reducing fossil fuel use, but shipping, aviation and industry a long way from net zero
Washington State University earns $15M a year on stolen land
A Grist report reveals that over the past 150 years, WSU has collected at least $1B in profit from land taken from 21 Indigenous nations.
Social Housing Advocates Aim to Get Back on the Ballot for Dedicated Funding - The Urbanist
Filed Tuesday, I-136 would create a dedicated income stream for social housing, generating around $50 million per year.
Rethinking The Housing Affordability Crisis, Part 1
Source: curbed.com (Janna Morton) Let’s talk about the nation’s housing affordability crisis. I recently downloaded some 2023 third qua...
We Would Love Sound Transit’s Link More If It Were Automated
Automation isn't always a bad thing.
Between the Blocks - 99% Invisible
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock park” green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They’re not so much “parks” in the formal sense, with fences and gates, just open green areas growing up in interstitial spaces left behind.
As states slash rooftop solar incentives, Puerto Rico extends them
One year after California cut how much households are paid for surplus power, Puerto Rico is preserving net metering to foster clean energy.
Category 6-level hurricanes are already here, a new study says
But what would change if we added a number to the hurricane scale?