The Urbanist’s Most Popular Stories of 2025
The most read stories at The Urbanist last year included coverage of high speed rail, light rail, shared streets, housing growth appeals, and parking mandates.
Organization News
Looking Back on The Urbanist’s 2025
2025 was a pivotal year for the Seattle region and for The Urbanist. Voters elected more urbanists to office than ever before, and The Urbanist also made strides as an organization. Let’s look back on the year that was, as we forge ahead.
Test Your Wits with The Urbanist Crossword for May 4
Take The Urbanist’s second installment of crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to
Urbanist Reporters Appear on Hacks and Wonks Podcast
The Urbanist’s contributing editor Ryan Packer and reporter Amy Sundberg appeared on back-to-back episodes of the Hacks and Wonks podcast this week. Be sure to give it a listen for a riveting conversation tackling the biggest issues facing the region. Hacks and Wonks host Crystal Fincher (who is a
Quiz Your Seattle News Knowledge with The Urbanist’s New Crossword
The Urbanist is launching a new crossword series running every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.
Join The Urbanist for Our April Social Events and Walking Tours
The Urbanist is hosting four social events in April. We’re also kicking off our urbanism-themed walking tours starting in Kirkland. Plus, on May 10 we’ll be hosting a booth at the opening celebration at Downtown Redmond Station.
Results from The Urbanist’s Second Annual Reader Survey
The Urbanist had 459 responses to our reader survey this year, and we want to share some takeaways with you.
Apply to Join The Urbanist Election Committee
The Urbanist Elections Committee is seeking new members to join the committee to expand our geographic scope for the 2025 election cycle. If you live in an Eastside suburb, Tacoma, South Seattle, Shoreline, or Lynnwood and are interested in urbanism and politics, apply by March 8 to be considered.
Welcome Diego Batres, The Urbanist’s New Director of Development & Events
Diego Batres joins The Urbanist as its third paid staff member, with a goal of connecting the reporting we publish with actions you can take to build community power.
Top Ten Urbanist Articles of 2024
Look back on our top 10 most read articles published in 2024, which run the gambit from rail to highrise to waterfront park news.
Reminder: The Urbanist’s Monthly Meetup Is Tuesday at TeKu Tavern
The Urbanist next monthly meetup is Tuesday, November 19th at TeKu Tavern + Cafe in Seattle from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Get Your Tickets for Our Anniversary Celebration on December 5th
Join The Urbanist on December 5 at the historic Stimson-Green Mansion for an evening of celebration, reflection, and community. Space is limited. Get your tickets now!
The Urbanist Is Hiring a Director of Development & Events
The Urbanist is hiring a Director of Development & Events. Join our award-winning team that produces advocacy journalism that makes a difference in the Puget Sound region. We are accepting applications through December 9. Apply today by sending us a resume and cover letter.
Join The Urbanist for Our Monthly Meetup on November 19th
The Urbanist next monthly meetup is Tuesday, November 19th at TeKu Tavern + Cafe in Seattle from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Join Us December 5th for The Urbanist’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Join The Urbanist on December 5 at the historic Stimson-Green Mansion for an evening of celebration, reflection, and community. Space is limited. Get your tickets now!
Final Push for The Urbanist’s Fall Member Drive
Give today to help us finish our fall member drive strong. Our members are crucial to powering our advocacy journalism. We couldn’t do it without you.
The Urbanist Breaks the Stories You Care About Around The Region
The Urbanist is in the midst of our fall membership drive. The coming months are some of the most pivotal the region has seen in recent memory.
The Urbanist Teams Up with Eastside Urbanism for October Monthly Meetup in Redmond
We’re headed to Redmond for our October meetup while we hunt for a new Seattle venue for our monthly socials. Please join The Urbanist and Eastside Urbanism for a joint October meetup at the Jack Sprat / Pizza Poggio cafe inside Esterra Park in Redmond. The meetup will be held
Launching Our Fall 2024 Member Drive – Give Today!
Give today! We’re launching our two-week fall member drive to power our advocacy journalism.
Apply to Join the Board at The Urbanist
The Urbanist board of directors is seeking to recruit more members. Apply today!
Rian Watt Talks Primary Results on Hack and Wonks Podcast
The Urbanist’s Senior Advisor Rian Watt discussed primary election results and the latest happenings at Seattle City Hall on a August 9 episode of Crystal Fincher’s Hacks and Wonks podcast. Fincher is a political consultant who also serves on The Urbanist’s board. Watt and Fincher covered the
Join The Urbanist for Our Monthly Meetup on June 27th
Join us at our monthly meetup tomorrow, June 27th at 5:30pm at Stoup Capitol Hill. No RSVP needed — just bring your ideas and enthusiasm.
Become a Member, Help Us Close Our Spring Drive Strong
It’s the home stretch of our two-week spring member drive, and we’re still short of our goal of 100 new members. You can help us get there! Donate today.
Spring Member Drive Kickoff: Celebrating 10 Years of The Urbanist
Please consider a donation as The Urbanist launches our spring member drive this tenth anniversary year. We’ve come a long way in a decade!
Urbanist Leader Rian Watt Talks Housing Crisis on Hacks & Wonks Podcast
The Urbanist’s Executive Director Rian Watt appeared on Crystal Fincher’s Hacks and Wonks podcast on April 9 to talk about the housing crisis. He offered three fixes for the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
Get Plugged In with The Urbanist’s New Local Events Calendar
The Urbanist’s new Local Events Calendar is the one-stop shop for finding events from a variety of organizations across the region. Readers can subscribe to the calendar so they never miss an opportunity to connect.
Join The Urbanist for Monthly Meetup on March 21
We meet at Stoup Capitol Hill starting at 5:30pm on the third Thursday of the month. We’ll discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan this month.
Announcing The Urbanist’s 2024 Advocacy Agenda
Focused on housing abundance and sustainable transportation, our 2024 advocacy agenda runs the gambit from comprehensive plan updates to transit upgrades and a safety-first Move Seattle Levy renewal.
The Results Are In on The Urbanist’s First Annual Reader Survey
465 readers answered our call for feedback and told us how we can improve. Here’s what they said.
The Urbanist Board Welcomes Four New Members
Efrain Hudnell, Sarah Mills, David Postman, and Ben Maritz join our board in 2024
The Urbanist 2023: Articles You May Have Missed
We’ve all had a busy year. Really, there were four elections. Sure, that’s a regular occurrence in Seattle, but it’s still a lot. So, with one last look back, let’s say goodbye to the year that was by clearing the table on readings we coulda, shoulda,
2023 Year-End Update and Fundraising Push
Let’s hit the ground running in 2024 – Give today! It’s been a big year for The Urbanist. In 2023, we continued to grow our coverage and we also passed the milestone of bringing on our first full-time reporter. Hiring Ryan Packer to a full-time position was well earned
The Urbanist Hires Ryan Packer As Full-Time Contributing Editor
The turn of the year has brought another milestone for The Urbanist, with the promotion of long-time reporter Ryan Packer to full-time contributing editor. Packer (they/them) has been paid on a per-article basis previously, but the promotion to a full-time staff position will allow greater stability and an ability
Take The Urbanist Reader Survey
As our organization grows, we would like to learn more about our readers and would value your input. This anonymous survey takes about five minutes to complete and will be open through November 30. We want to hear what topics intrigue you the most and what you’d like to
Join The Urbanist Board
Help guide our nonprofit into its second decade. The Urbanist is a fast-growing Seattle-based organization working to deliver abundant housing, safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation, and a strong, just, decarbonized economy for the Puget Sound region through media and advocacy. We run a well-regarded publication, engage in targeted advocacy, and
Fall 2023 Subscriber Drive Kickoff: 10 Years of The Urbanist
Give today to celebrate a decade of The Urbanist. The Urbanist will turn 10 years old in 2024. When we were founded in 2014 by a small group of volunteers frustrated with the lack of serious attention our region’s leaders were giving to our linked housing, transportation, and climate
Introducing Rian Watt As Executive Director of The Urbanist
Doug Trumm is pivoting to a new role as publisher. Join us in welcoming Rian Watt as executive director of The Urbanist. Rian has been involved with The Urbanist in one form or another since 2019, when he joined the Elections Committee as a member. Since then, he’s gone
The Urbanist Welcomes a New Editor
Join us in welcoming Linda Hanlon as the new lead editor of The Urbanist. Linda relocated to Seattle from Ohio in 1990, the year that the Growth Management Act established goals for where and how Washington state’s human population would grow, and it set methods to evaluate relationships — including
Ray’s Exit Interview: Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down
This is a quote from a book and a song, so I can use it as a title. Even with a questionable intensifier. Today is my last day as interim Managing Editor of The Urbanist. You’ll be pardoned if you didn’t notice my reign. Mostly it’s that
Join for Permitting Impediments Forum on April 26
SPU oversteps their authority per state law and overcharges developments for new water service connections. Here’s how to fight back. It is time to take action to prevent Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and and other agencies from mandating egregious and non-code-supported project-crushing exactions. Those seeking to acquire development permits
The Urbanist Is Now Accepting Corporate Match and Tax Deductible Gifts
Double or triple your gift with our new donation option At The Urbanist, we think that both political advocacy and unbiased news articles are important to a well-informed public. Many readers rely on The Urbanist’s election recommendations when it’s time to vote. And you use our political analysis
The Urbanist is Hiring a Full-Time Managing Editor, Join Our Team!
We are excited to announce that The Urbanist is hiring. We’re seeking a full-time managing editor to oversee our publication’s production team. The Managing Editor will guide our coverage and uphold our standards for journalism. The Urbanist is an influential Seattle-based publication popular with policymakers and advocates, and
2022 Report: A Year of Achievement for The Urbanist
The Urbanist team is extremely proud of the year we had. Our coverage expanded across the Puget Sound region. We launched a podcast and a book club. We offered a variety of in-person events and tours to pair with our continued monthly online speaker series that has replaced our monthly
The Urbanist’s Ryan Packer Discusses Worsening Traffic Safety Crisis on KUOW
The pedestrian safety crisis has been worsening in Washington State and across the United States, even as most other industrialized nations have taken strides to reduce their traffic fatality rate in recent years. Emily Badger at the New York Times recently did a feature on this troubling phenomenon which provided
The Urbanist Events Calendar
We know your holidays are booked, so it’s time to get some dates set for upcoming events through the New Year. Please click through for sign ups at the bottom of the page. Testify at the Seattle Budget Meeting Monday Nov. 21 Seattle is nearing its final budget and
Events Roundup: Matt Hutchins Urbanist Talk Plus Comp Plan Meetings
On Monday, two big events are happening. At 6:30pm, The Urbanist is hosting activist architect Matt Hutchins at the November edition of our monthly speaker series. Register at the bottom for Zoom link or watch for the video recording to drop by Tuesday. Also happening Monday is the first
November 14 Urbanist Talk to Tackle Comp Plan, Exclusionary Zoning, Design Review Reform
We are very excited to be joined by activist architect Matt Hutchins at the November edition of our monthly speaker series. He will help us understand the multiple land use and housing issues we are facing and how they can help us become a more affordable, equitable, and climate responsive
As The Urbanist Grows, So Does Our Board
The Urbanist has grown a lot since its founding in 2014. When I first got involved in 2015 by showing up to meetups in a coffee shop in South Lake Union, it was a scrappy organization (by the loosest definition of the word) with no real staff, money, or even
Broadening Our Scope: Publication Update Fall 2022
There may still only be a faint whisper of autumn in air, but despite the warm weather across Puget Sound, it’s undeniable that we are shifting into the final months of 2022. That seasonal progression has put me into a reflective state of mind, and so as I prepared
Announcing Our Fall 2022 Subscriber Drive
We could really use your support during our Fall Subscriber Drive, which we started this week. The Urbanist is able to maintain its independent journalism focused on issues that matter most to you because of reader support. Twice a year, we run subscriber drives asking you to support our unique
Upcoming Events: Discovery Park Walking Tour Saturday and Cowen Park Picnic Tuesday August 30th
The Urbanist is excited to announce two more events in our summer series. This Saturday (August 27) we’ll be meeting at Discovery Park at 11am and hiking the Loop Trail, starting the hike from the North parking lot around 11:35am. RSVP for the Discovery Park walking tour. On
Join The Urbanist Board
Do you think that cities provide unique opportunities for addressing society’s difficult problems from the climate emergency to the housing affordability dilemma? Do you want to help a young scrappy organization grow and become more sustainable and effective? Do you have a commitment to anti-racism and a strong desire
Midweek Video: Marc Dones Discusses Homelessness Solutions at April Urbanist Meetup
Marc Dones was our April Meetup guest and the conversation focused on the homelessness crisis. Dones (they/them pronouns) is tasked with solving the crisis as CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) but with neither taxing authority nor land use control, they will need activate others with
Last Day of Our Spring Subscriber Drive – Give Today!
Today is the last day of our Spring Subscriber Drive, and to grow The Urbanist we need your support. To close out strong, we need 11 people to chip in today to reach our goal of surpassing 100 donations this drive. We are growing fast, but that takes greater financial
Achieving New Heights: Spring 2022 Publication Update
We are only three months into 2022, and yet the year has already proven to be a groundbreaking one for The Urbanist. Last fall, we set record highs for readership during the month of October, buoyed by our thorough coverage of the Northgate Link light rail expansion. We hoped to
Launching Spring Subscriber Drive to Grow The Urbanist
The Urbanist has launched its Spring Subscriber Drive and we’re asking you to become a monthly donor or give an annual gift to #GrowTheUrbanist. If you count on our coverage and advocacy, we’re counting you to step up. It’s an exciting time of new developments at our
How to Use Our Redesigned Website and Why We Retired Our Comment Section
We’re pleased to announce a redesign of our website with the goal of shortening page loading times and improving the reader experience. Toward that end, we’ve decided to discontinue our comment section. For more on that decision read on. One prominent addition is our new “Features” feed, which
The Urbanist Announces New Paid Freelance Reporter Program
As mentioned during our most recent subscriber drive, we are dedicating the first $2,000 that was raised to a paid freelance reporter program. A big thank you to our generous contributors who helped us to achieve our goal! We are also very grateful for all of the contributions we
Crystal Fincher is Our November Meetup Guest for an Election Breakdown Edition
The Urbanist’s monthly meetup is November 9th at 6:15pm. Crystal Fincher is a political consultant and host of the acclaimed podcast Hacks & Wonks, which is also broadcast on KVRU. Hacks & Wonks is Seattle’s premiere podcast for political analysis and commentary, and we are thrilled to
Building on The Urbanist’s Vision
Stepping into my new role as Managing Editor of The Urbanist has made it clearer for me than ever how much effort it takes to produce a quality publication. Every story we publish is the result of vigorous research and careful writing, most of which is accomplished by volunteers who
Home Stretch of the Fall 2021 Subscriber Drive
The Urbanist’s Fall Subscriber Drive comes to an end this weekend, but we want to finish strong. Already 88 readers have donated or subscribed. With a strong finish we can beat our record from last spring — 94. We are grateful for the outpouring of support. We quickly raised $2,
Publication Update: Fall 2021 Subscriber Drive Edition
There’s no doubt that fall has arrived. The days are shorter (and wetter), budget squabbling is enfolding over at City Hall, the campaign season for various city seats is in full swing, and the Northgate Link light rail extension is finally open for business. These last three items have
All Aboard The Urbanist’s Fall 2021 Subscriber Drive
Today as Northgate Link opens, The Urbanist is launching our Fall Subscriber Drive. We could really use your support to continue to report on and advocate for gamechanging investments like those bearing fruit today. If you count on The Urbanist to break down the latest Seattle news (look no further
Nikkita Oliver Is Our Urbanist Meetup Guest on September 14th
Nikkita Oliver is our featured guest at The Urbanist’s monthly meetup on September 14th. Oliver (they/them) is a community organizer, cultural worker, artist, attorney, and executive director of youth diversion program Creative Justice. They are fresh off a first-place primary finish in their campaign for Seattle City Council
Introducing Our New Managing Editor Natalie Bicknell Argerious
In June, we announced we were hiring a managing editor and I’m excited to break the news that Natalie Bicknell Argerious is stepping into that role. Natalie has been writing for us since 2018 and tackled many big stories for us. Our hiring committee got a chance to talk
Urbanist Meetup July 13th with Mayoral Candidate Jessyn Farrell
On Tuesday, July 13th from 6:15pm to 7:30pm we are excited to be joined by mayoral candidate Jessyn Farrell. A widely-respected policy advocate on housing affordability, child care, tax reform, and economic security, Farrell has served as the executive director of Transportation Choices Coalition, in the legislature, and
The Urbanist is Hiring a Managing Editor
We are excited to announce that The Urbanist is hiring a Managing Editor to lead our publication. The Managing Editor will guide our coverage and editorial voice and uphold our standards for journalism. The Urbanist is an influential publication popular with policymakers and advocates, and this is a unique opportunity
Join Us Tuesday for The Urbanist’s Monthly Meetup with Mayoral Candidate Ace Houston
Andrew Grant Houston (Ace for short) is running for Mayor of Seattle and he is our guest for our monthly meetup this Tuesday April 13th. Ace is a queer Black and Latino Passive House certified architect, a housing advocate, and interim policy manager with Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s office. The
Publication Update: Spring Subscriber Drive Edition
It’s starting to feel like spring in a lot of ways. The days are getting longer and Covid vaccines are being administered at record rates. There’s hope the pandemic will be in check before winter. We’ve weathered the storm and passed the one year mark on the
WSDOT Head Roger Millar Is Our Meetup Guest March 9th
We are very excited to be joined by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Secretary Roger Millar at our March 9th meetup from 6:15pm to 7:30pm. In the position since 2016, Millar oversees an agency that is the steward of a complex, multimodal transportation system and is responsible
Spring 2021 Subscriber Drive Financial Update
Last year, The Urbanist started paying an Executive Director for the first time since its founding. The new director started in December 2019 and spent most of last year learning the ropes of fundraising, continuing to manage the organization’s editorial duties and filling in articles whenever we had gaps.
Kicking Off Our Spring 2021 Subscriber Drive
We’re launching our Spring Subscriber Drive today and we could really use your support. If you count on The Urbanist to break down the latest news in urbanism and Seattle politics, we’re counting on you to help us keep the lights on and grow our team. Our vision
The Urbanist’s Greatest Hits of 2020
Thank you for reading The Urbanist and making it through a crucible of a year with us. We wanted to look back at our most popular articles as we try to put 2020 in the rearview mirror of our tandem bike, dear reader, as soon as possible–reflecting a smidge
November Meetup Featuring Journalist Erica C. Barnett of Publicola
Please join us Tuesday, November 10th from 6:15 to 7:30pm for our monthly online meetup featuring one of Seattle’s finest journalists: Erica C. Barnett. Barnett has been providing some of the most comprehensive coverage of important issues facing our city including homelessness, police reform, housing, transportation, and
Fall Subscriber Drive Recap and Thank You
Thank you to everyone who donated during our Fall Subscriber Drive. We gained 43 new subscribers and that goes a long way to making The Urbanist a sustainable institution. We run on support from our readers. An expanded subscriber base means more coverage and advocacy; it means adding more staff
Subscriber Drive: Publication Update
During our subscriber drives, we look back at what we’ve been up to over the past year. 2020 didn’t bring a lot of fuzzy moments, but we’re proud of how we persevered. As the Covid-19 pandemic ramped up in the spring, we struggled with how to proceed
Fall 2020 Urbanist Financial Update: Overcoming a Recession
2020 marks a transition in our spending strategy at The Urbanist. At the beginning of the year we started paying one of our long-term volunteers and former publication director, Doug Trumm, to development work. Our executive board (which I serve on as treasurer) also promoted him to the Executive Director
Kicking Off Our Fall 2020 Subscriber Drive
Today marks the start of our annual fall subscriber drive. First off, thank you for reading The Urbanist. We’re proud of the work we do and grateful for the readership. Our work would not be possible without support from our readers. Over the next two weeks, we’ll make
Fall Subscriber Drive Kicks Off with Charles Mudede Event September 30th
Filmmaker and Stranger editor Charles Mudede is headlining an event on Wednesday, September 30th kicking off The Urbanist’s annual Fall Subscriber Drive. The hour-long conversation starting at 6pm will be moderated by Cary Moon. Mudede and Moon teamed up on a four-part series on the housing crisis in The
Join Seattle Greenways at Our Meetup Tuesday to Discuss Open Streets and Moving Beyond Enforcement
Please join us Tuesday August 11th from 6:15pm to 7:30pm for our monthly online meetup. This month, we’ll be featuring folks from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. They’ll talk about their vision and work on Stay Healthy Streets and open streets for businesses to expand outdoor seating. Come
Doing Journalism in Pandemic Mode
These obviously aren’t normal times. The economy is teetering, election systems are straining, and hospitals are preparing for a deluge of cases. Many parts of society are shutting down, and many people are laid off or working from home, while others–like medical and delivery workers–are laboring in
Envisioning an Urbanist Future
Thanks to everyone who has donated to The Urbanist during our subscriber drive this month and to those who attended our first fundraiser ever on Sunday. A special thanks to Brittney Bush Bollay and Cary Moon for headlining the event. It’s truly an honor to advocate alongside such inspiring
Publication Accomplishments: Help Us Keep Up the Good Work
The Urbanist is sustained by volunteer writers and we got some new contributors in the last year that helped spread the workload. Ray Dubicki and Shaun Kuo became regular contributors and we appreciate their insight and persecptive. They helped us maintain our hallmark depth of coverage focusing on sustainable transportation
Opening 2020 Subscriber Drive Kickoff and New Executive Director
The Urbanist kicks off its opening 2020 subscriber drive today. For the next two weeks we’ll be asking readers like you to contribute financially so we can continue the work we do. While The Urbanist accomplishes a lot with an amazing group of volunteers, the publication needs paid staff.
Grow The Urbanist: Join Us for a Fundraiser Reception February 9th
Our Spring Subscriber Drive starts Monday and this year we’re adding a fundraiser to the schedule. Hear from urbanist leaders and organizational leadership. The event will be 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, Februray 9th at Peddler Brewing Company in Ballard (directions here). It’s a great chance to meet
Claim a Free Book and Join the Anti-Racism Discussion
When America elected a White Nationalist three years ago, we ramped up our work to better understand structural racism, Whiteness, and how unjust systems stay stubbornly in place. Do you want to explore why oppressive systems keep getting reproduced generation after generation, despite good intentions? Do you want to strengthen
Fresh off Landslide Win, Tammy Morales is Our Guest at December 10th Meetup
This month we are excited to be joined by Seattle City Councilmember-elect Tammy Morales for out monthly meetup Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The event is at the Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea House. She will be talking about her campaign, laying out her vision for
Fall Subscriber Drive: Publication Accomplishments
First of all, we in the publication team would like to thank our readers to continue to support our work. More people than ever are reading our work. While in 2018, we averaged 34,600 users visiting our online publication each month, so far in 2019, we’re averaging more
Fall Subscriber Drive Kickoff
Today we’re kicking off our fall subscriber drive. The Urbanist was founded as an all-volunteer organization and has operated that way for most of our five-year history. Despite a proud list of accomplishments, it’s become more and more apparent that we need paid staff. To that end, we’
Subscriber Drive: 2018 Publication Accomplishments
The Urbanist published 594 articles in 2018. On average, 34,600 users visited our blog each month in 2018. Both were new records. So thanks to our readers for giving us your time and engaging in this citymaking conversation with us! Stronger output was built in part on new contributors.
Subscriber Drive: Cary Moon Testimonial
What is a city anyway? Try to answer that; it’s not as easy as you think. We could say it’s a collection of people united by not just geography but an ever-changing culture, economy, and social practices. We could say it’s the political structures, community organizations and
Subscriber Drive: 2018 Urbanist Programming
While The Urbanist is mostly known for its high quality journalism and hot takes on local issues, the organization also has been striving to expand our event programming. The goal of our programming is to provide educational opportunities for people in our region about its history and the policy decisions
Subscriber Drive: Alex Hudson Testimonial
The Urbanist is a community-driven resource, reporting on a range of urban issues in our region. In addition to its online reporting, The Urbanist’s events and community building opportunities provide valuable spaces for community-building and education offline. The Urbanist’s events such as monthly meetups and walking tours are
Subscriber Drive: How We Put Your Donations to Good Use
The Urbanist strives to be good stewards of your donations, delivering high value for the price of a small ongoing donation. This is more and more important as we as a society struggle to fund journalism amidst attacks on its legitimacy, layoffs, and declining revenue. You can read about the
Subscriber Drive: Recapping Our 2018 Policy Work
2018 was a funny election year. Faced with a spreadsheet of state legislative races long enough to make the election board’s eyes bleed, where dozens and dozens of candidates in urban and not-so-urban districts deserved consideration, a dedicated volunteer crew at The Urbanist dug into the process of narrowing
Subscriber Drive: Teresa Mosqueda Testimonial
The Urbanist has been an essential outlet in our city, deconstructing policy ideas in an intersectional way. Recognizing that “the market” alone will never be enough, and that building housing in a vacuum without infrastructure and community assets leads to poor outcomes, The Urbanist’s work to weave social justice
Subscriber Drive: The Urbanist Development Team’s 2018 Accomplishments
In 2018, The Urbanist notched one of the biggest accomplishments since its inception. We brought on a paid, part-time Operations and Development Manager. Our volunteers worked thousands of hours in 2018 to fulfill our mission and affect policy. However, our capacity fluctuates wildly, since we depend almost entirely on volunteers.
Subscriber Drive: Katie Wilson Testimonial
If only there were an online publication that combined timely news reporting, knowledgeable analysis of urban policies, and concern for equity—and also wasn’t afraid to jump into the fray and take a stand on controversial issues. Oh wait, that exists! It’s called The Urbanist! There are two
The Urbanist Kicks Off a Winter Subscriber Drive
2018 was a big year. We’re excited with what we accomplished at The Urbanist, but we’re also aware of the need to make our organization more durable. Volunteers come and go, as do donors, but somebody still has to write stories, organize events, and keep the lights on.
The Urbanist’s Greatest Hits of 2018
I’m proud of the work our team of volunteer writers produced in 2018. We covered Seattle urbanism and politics with nuance and depth, offering commentaries, interviews, and policy deep dives. On occasion we delivered biting critiques when the Seattle Times Editorial Board really went overboard, such as when they