Funding Request Would Plan 200 Mile Trail Connection At Seattle’s Doorstep
An impressively long list of governments on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas have joined together to jointly request funding finish a 200-mile biking and walking trail that will connect the Pacifi…
Agroecology is a poverty solution in Haiti (commentary)
Haiti is facing a profound political and economic crisis. Functional governance that serves the interests of Haiti’s people is largely nonexistent. One of the necessities to overcome this crisis is transitioning from the extractive environmental and economic model that has long plagued the country to one that is regenerative and good for Haitians and their […]
Astronomy on the Flats: How the Moons of Mars and the Death of a President Altered the Late Nineteenth-Century Washington, DC, Landscape
Editor’s note: This post is part of our theme for March 2023, Science City, an exploration of the ways cities and science have interacted over time and around the world. By Vincent Femia Simo…
Safety Strategies Abound for Rainier Valley Link, Yet Urgency to Implement Lags
Rainier Valley has seen more than its due share of collisions over the years. Martin Luther King Jr. Way S is a particularly problematic spot where serious injuries and fatalities are common. Inter…
Constantine Backs ‘North of CID’ Light Rail Station, Bypassing Chinatown and Midtown
King County Executive Dow Constantine has sided with those seeking to site light rail outside of the Chinatown-International District (CID). In his annual State of the County speech yesterday, Cons…
WA’s Missing Middle Legislation Threatened by Grab Bag of Municipal Excuses
Almost every single Monday or Tuesday night of 2023 has seen city councils in cities of all sizes across Washington meet with a common topic on agenda after agenda: House Bill 1110. The bill has be…
If you look at a map, New Orleans looks like a natural place to put the Gulf of Mexico’s largest port. It feeds right into the Mississippi River. Yet it
Everett Link Must Think Out of the Box to Avoid Generational Errors
This is a second installment examining the Everett Link Extension alternatives currently undergoing scoping. The first piece focused on station and station area alignment alternatives. This second …
Freight Advisory Board Isn’t Ready To Stop Fighting West Marginal Way Bike Lane
In January, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced that after over two years of planning, it intends to finally install a permanent bike lane along a short stretch of West Margin…
Metro Flex Launching In Early March, Replacing Other King County Microtransit Options
King County Metro will start rolling out a new on-demand microtransit service, Metro Flex, on March 6th. Riders will be able to request pickup and drop-off within defined service areas via a mobile…
Cycling is the most sustainable form of transportation, but the bicycle is becoming increasingly damaging to the environment. The energy and material used for its production go up while its life expectancy decreases. Illustration: Diego Marmolejo. Cycling is sustainable, but how sustainable is the bicycle? Cycling is one of the most sustainable modes of transportation. Increased ridership reduces fossil fuel consumption and pollution, saves space, and improves public health and safety. However, the bicycle itself has managed to elude environmental critique. [1] [2] Studies that calculate the environmental impact of cycling almost always compare it to driving, with predictable results: the bicycle is more sustainable than the car. Such research may encourage people to cycle more often but doesn't encourage...
Meet the Australian 'genius' engineer with a plan to electrify everything
His bold ideas caught the eye of the US president. Now inventor Saul Griffith is sparking an energy revolution in Australia, with a goal to create the first all-electric community where households could save $3,000 a year on their energy bills.
How to Finance a Highway Spending Spree: Records Reveal Oregon’s Plans for Toll Hikes
Some commuters to pay as much as $30 per day. Tolls don’t need to be this high to manage congestion, argues City Observatory. This article originally appeared City Observatory Under the new O…