Sunday Video: Seattle’s Long-Forgotten Hill - The Urbanist
# The Denny Regrade, completed between 1897 and 1930, changed the face of Seattle's downtown forever. This video from Seattle's municipal archives breaks down how it happened and why.
Op-ed: Boosting Freight Rail Is a Forgotten but Essential Climate Action - The Urbanist
# Moving freight by rail is significantly more efficient than by truck, a fact that could help Washington meet its climate goals. But are state leaders neglecting improvements to the state rail network?
‘Everyone thought it would cause gridlock’: the highway that Seoul turned into a stream
Cheonggyecheon stream in the South Korean capital has become an attraction – and helps with flood management, fighting air pollution and cooling the city
Moon rover-inspired robot could be a game-changer for Japan’s aging farmers | CNN
Japan’s population is the oldest in the world, with few young people working in agriculture. But now its farmers are getting help from a robot called Adam.
The History and Design of the Bathroom Part 8: Pulling It All Together
Over the last few weeks I have tried to pull all of the disparate ideas for the bathroom together and come up with a functional and practical set of ideas. Here is a summary of them all, in one bathroom that you can't
History and Design of the Bathroom Part 7: Putting a Price on Poop and Pee
I took some serious abuse in comments when I wrote Gates Foundation Throwing $42 Million Into The Toilet, questioning whether we needed a high-tech toilet solution.
The History of the Bathroom Part 5: Alexander Kira and Designing for People, Not Plumbing
Have a look at your sink after you brush your teeth or shave. There is stuff all over it that you have to clean up. You can't wash your hair in it. Alexander Kira of Cornell University looked at the
The History of the Bathroom Part 3: Putting Plumbing Before People
The really amazing thing about this standard "bathroom" from 1915, ninety-seven years ago, is how much it looks like the standard bathrooms of today. How did it get this way, and how did we get stuck
The History of the Bathroom Part 2: Awash in Water and Waste
In 1854 there was a major outbreak of cholera in Soho, London. Nobody knew what caused cholera, but John Snow carefully mapped the location of every victim, (documented wonderfully in Stephen Johnson's book The Ghost
The History of the Bathroom Part 1: Before the Flush
Victor Hugo wrote in Les Miserables that "the history of men is reflected in the history of sewers."... The sewer is the conscience of the city. Everything there converges and confronts everything else. "
Rent Stabilization Tops Washington Democrats’ Housing Agenda for 2025 Session - The Urbanist
# Democratic leaders are saying this is the year that the Washington State Legislature will finally pass rent stabilization, with momentum building behind Rep. Emily Alvarado's bill.
9:00am—The battle against wildfires in Los Angeles is almost entirely won by aerial firefighting. Helicopters and airplanes dropping water and retardants on fires and along perimeters saved Hollywo…
How much livable land is there on Earth? - Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions
How much livable land is there on Earth? According to the available data, there are approximately 24,642,757 square miles or 15.77 billion acres of habitable land on Earth. How much land is available per person on the earth? Based on the estimated total land area of Earth, which is about 57,308,738 square miles, and with … How much livable land is there on Earth? Read More »
Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, 2000-2020 | GLAD
The Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, 2000-2020 The GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change dataset quantifies changes in forest extent and height, cropland, built-up lands, surface water, and perennial snow and ice extent from the year 2000 to 2020 at 30-m spatial resolution. The global dataset derived from the GLAD Landsat Analysis Ready Data. Each thematic product
WSDOT Report Proposes Expansion Path for Washington’s Intercity Bus Network - The Urbanist
# Washington State's updated intercity bus plan outlines potential improvements to enhance connectivity statewide, including added trips and new routes.
Ingenious DIY setup powers home for 8 years with over 1,000 repurposed laptop batteries
This remarkable feat has been running successfully for an astonishing eight years without a single battery replacement, as detailed by the creator, Glubux, on the online forum...