Seattle

Seattle skyline

Seattle's Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Street Parking Program

For an effective, low-cost alternative to San Francisco’s bank-breaking street parking program, look no further than Seattle.

October 26, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Addressing the Supply Side of the Affordable Housing Equation

If high demand cities like Seattle hope to avoid the fate of insanely priced cities like San Francisco, they'll have to do a better job of addressing the housing supply side and stop placing the burden of subsidy on new development.

October 7, 2013 - Citytank

Portland Cycling

Will Portland Lose its Status as America's Bike Commuting Champion?

While bike commuting is gaining nationwide, it's actually dropping in Portland which has held the enviable title of tops in bike commuting for large cities since 2005. Minneapolis and Seattle, #2 and #3 respectively, are gaining, warns BikePortland.

September 26, 2013 - BikePortland

When Speeding Pays

Speeding is paying-off in the amount of $15 million for Seattle area schools thanks to speed-enforced cameras, a proven but nonetheless controversial traffic safety tool. Revenue will be used to make walking safer under a proposal by Mayor McGinn.

September 9, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Amazon Primes Seattle for Jolt of Development; Can the City Keep Up?

By building a new headquarters in downtown Seattle, Amazon is attracting residential developers, new restaurants, and other tech companies to a rapidly transforming neighborhood. Can the city keep up with the demand for infrastructure and amenities?

August 27, 2013 - The New York Times

Prospect Park Bike Lane

Bike Lanes Boost Local Businesses

A study of Seattle's bike lanes and small businesses shows that bike lanes strengthen local business sales.

August 26, 2013 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Seattle skyline

Skyscrapers Rise Again in Seattle, But Who'll Work in Them?

Seattle developers are moving ahead with plans for three new downtown office towers - the first in 20 years - despite abundant vacant space in the area. Much sought-after tech tenants will be a tough lure because “[t]hey like weird buildings.”

August 23, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Protected Bike Lanes May Receive Federal Recognition

While protected bike lanes have yet to be recognized by AASHTO, they are en route to being recognized by US DOT, writes Green Lane Project's Michael Andersen. With federal guidance, transportation engineers may be more willing to build cycle tracks.

August 12, 2013 - Green Lane Project

Broken Bike Helmet

Bike Helmets and Bike Share: Unhappy Marriage in Need of Divorce

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Seeing Dollar Signs, Developers Cater to Cyclists

Seeing an opportunity to cut costs, attract residents, and respond to changing demands of tenants, commercial and residential developers in the Seattle area are investing in amenities for bicyclists.

June 27, 2013 - Puget Sound Business Journal

HOT Lanes Slow to Catch on With Users

High-Occupancy Toll lanes have become a popular tool to help reduce congestion and raise revenues. But recent projects in cities throughout the U.S. have failed to meet expectations. Eric Jaffe investigates the reasons why.

June 24, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Green Carrot Incentivizes More Efficient Buildings; Will Owners and Utilities Bite?

Felicity Barringer looks at an innovative program being tested in Seattle to incentivize commercial property owners to undertake major energy efficiency retrofits. A partnership between skeptical building owners, investors, and utilities is key.

June 20, 2013 - The New York Times

Is CA High-Speed Rail Stalling the Federal Rail Program?

House Republicans object to further funding of the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program - largely due to California's expectation to receive $42 billion in federal funding - yet less ambitious projects have shown much promise.

May 8, 2013 - Governing Magazine

Seattle Looks to L.A. for Lessons on Creating an Entertainment District From Scratch

Although its inward-facing corporate design may be loathed by architects and planners, L.A. Live's success in helping to draw redevelopment and activity to South Park is indisputable. Can its successes be replicated in Seattle?

April 22, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Illicit Intervention Creates Protected Bike Lane in Seattle

In what is certainly one of the most polite forms of civil disobedience we've ever encountered, a small group of guerrilla urbanists installed bike lane protectors along a Seattle street one recent night. They kindly made them easy to remove.

April 7, 2013 - Seattle Bike Blog

Density Done Well, and Not Just Downtown

It’s an understatement to say that the “D-Word” is a controversial subject in cities across North America. It needn’t be so though, and shouldn't be, as when it’s done well, density is immensely important to the success of cities and regions.

April 2, 2013 - Brent Toderian

Strip Mall

Driven into Poverty: Walkable Urbanism and the Suburbanization of Poverty

David Moser pens a compelling essay that examines the ways in which sprawling auto-dependent land use patterns exacerbate poverty. As more low-income individuals and families are pushed to the suburbs, "this problem is gaining urgency."

March 13, 2013 - Citytank

America's Most Beloved Public Market is About to Get Better

Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's most visited tourist sites, and one of the prime models for the rediscovered allure of America's public markets, is primed for a significant expansion thanks to a recently approved agreement.

February 24, 2013 - Crosscut

Seattle and Chicago Mayors Bicker Over Bikers

Back in December, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his aim of attracting Seattle's bikers and tech jobs while opening a new protected bike lane downtown. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn isn't taking Emanuel's entreaties lightly.

February 21, 2013 - Seattle Bike Blog

Realigning Nature and the City

Using two paradigms addressing synergies of nature and the city, Chuck Wolfe contrasts gradually merging animal and human habitats in the United States with calculated greening of city spaces overseas.

February 18, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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.