Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Amazon Makes Seattle the Nation's Biggest Company Town

The company town seems like a relic of a previous era of American industry, but Amazon and Seattle are redefining the concept.

August 29, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Spin and LimeBike

Seattle Bikeshare: From Failure to Success in Less Than Six Months

News of the demise of the Pronto! bikeshare system in Seattle broke in February, but by the end of the year, the city is expected to have the U.S.'s largest bikeshare network.

August 28, 2017 - CNN Tech

Vancouver Skyline

Housing Construction in Seattle and Vancouver a Study in Contrasts

Planning is only one ingredient of the cocktail that produces new housing, but planning should bear in mind all the other factors influencing the process. Vancouver and Seattle provide case studies and sharp contrasts in housing outcomes.

August 17, 2017 - Sightline Institute

Surface Parking

The Most Effective Way to Reduce Employee Driving

The single most effective way a major employer in Seattle found to reduce solo driving was to charge employees for parking, but ruling-out monthly permits. An innovative method was adopted to charge workers on a daily basis

August 15, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Late Buses Threaten Seattle Micro-Unit Development—Guess Why

An approved, 55 micro-unit, mixed-use development with no parking sited on a transit corridor with 15-minute headways has been halted by a legal ruling after neighborhood opponents proved the bus was not meeting its schedule.

August 12, 2017 - Seattle Weekly

Seattle

New Levels of Car Dependence Follow Seattle's Growth

By any measure, Seattle is growing at a breakneck pace. But with those new residents come cars, and all the infrastructure and land use inefficiencies they bring.

August 10, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Court Decision Forces Seattle to Improve Sidewalk Infrastructure

The city of Seattle has finally been compelled to maintain pedestrian infrastructure in keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

July 26, 2017 - The Urbanist

Gas Works Park

Seattle Considers Licensing and Fees for Cyclists

Many argue that bikes save cities millions by lessening pollution, improving public health, and opening up space that would otherwise be taken by cars and parking, but some counter it's too hard to ticket bikers when they don't have licenses.

July 19, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Urban Forests

Comparing the World's Urban Tree Canopies

Seattle provides plenty of shade for residents to enjoy in the summer months.

July 17, 2017 - The Stranger

Seattle Center

The Poetic Grid Maps the Lyrics of Place

There's only one requirement to qualify for Seattle's Poetic Grid project: write a poem about a specific place.

July 16, 2017 - Next City

University of Washington

University of Washington's Campus Master Plan Gets Pushback on Equity Issues

The Campaign For Responsible UW is hoping to push for additional changes to a finalized version of a master plan for the University of Washington's Seattle campus before the city can approve it.

July 13, 2017 - The Urbanist

Vancouver

Evidence that Foreign Buyers Aren't to Blame for High Housing Prices

Vancouver's exploding housing prices are caused by income inequality, housing scarcity, and a housing bubble, not by foreign investors and vacant housing units.

July 7, 2017 - Sightline

Seattle

Changes in Store for Seattle's Design Review Program

Seattle's Design Review Program, in place since 1994, could see substantive changes in the near future.

July 5, 2017 - The Urbanist

Tuscany

Seattle Experiments With Fence-Free Sidewalk Cafés

Sidewalk-adjacent eating spaces generally separate diners from pedestrians. By using markers instead of fences, some Seattle eateries are opening their dining areas to the street.

July 4, 2017 - The Urbanist

Seattle

Seattle Tackling Equity Challenges With Global Lens

Seattle is faced with an affordable housing crisis that has led the new Planning & Community Development Director Sam Assefa to look globally for solutions.

June 30, 2017 - The Planning Report

Ballard neighborhood, Seattle

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink

King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

June 28, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Subsidized Carpool Rides: There's an App for That

Contra Costa County, California, located in the East Bay Area, is looking for new incentives to get commuters to carpool through the congestion region. If only there were an app for that.

June 27, 2017 - Government Technology

Seattle Electric Bus

Seattle Adds Bus Capacity to Accommodate Amazon Interns

Sometimes it seems like Seattle and Amazon have a symbiotic relationship.

June 24, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Pike Place

School Bus Schedule Changes Will Be Funded by the Seattle Department of Transportation

Issues about which bus schedules work best for students and families, and how changes to the school bus system should be funded, came to a head in Seattle this week.

June 15, 2017 - Seattle Met

Washington

Seattle Releases Draft Rezonings for its 'Urban Villages'

Seattle is planning to add height and density in "urban villages" around the city—part of the growth and affordability goals targeted by previous planning efforts by the city.

June 11, 2017 - The Urbanist

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.